


All Hail, The 9th Prince

by WritersObsession2002



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Comedy, Family Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Okumura Rin was Raised in Gehenna, Okumura Yukio is a misguided jerk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2019-11-21 10:11:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 63,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18140852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritersObsession2002/pseuds/WritersObsession2002
Summary: A pair of twins -one child is born with the power of the blue flames, thee other with none. Satan wants them both, however he'll have to settle for one: Rin is taken into Gehenna when he's six, thenceforth raised as a demon prince. Yukio grows up with a scorching hatred for all demon kind, for stealing his innocent and brave twin away. What will happen when they're together again?(Was originally Akuma-Sama2002's on Fanfiction.net, but I've adopted it and am now re-writing with full permission.)





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> I have not read the manga, so this fanfiction will be based (around) the anime. Furthermore all the Demon Kings (aside from Mephisto, Amaimon, Lucifer, and partly Iblis) will be OCs since they don't appear in the anime. Or with the case of Astaroth, has too little screen time for me to acutely get his person right.

        The sun is just setting, and a chilly breeze makes six year old Rin Okumura shiver and wrap his tiny arms around himself. He knows he's not allowed out this late; he shouldn't have left the church, but he doesn't want be there right now. You see, Rin got in another fight at school. But it isn't  _his_ fault! The other boy was 'talking trash' behind Yukio's back! But Shiro still got angry and grounded him for a whole two weeks!

        Rin hates the looks that the others give him when they think he's not watching. (As if he might explode any second.) It feels like he swallowed rocks, and Shiro's disappointed expression... So Rin slipped out when no one was watching. It's not like he's running away -just going to the nearby park. The park usually cheers him up. He just wants to be left alone right now.

        He swings on the swings for a little bit, slides down the slide a few times, but he ends up laying down on the grass and looking up to the sunset. The sky is a pretty colour of mixed orange, pink, blue and purple. A few soft clouds are by the setting sun, creating a calm picture.

        "Hey there, little boy," a man's voice says. Rin jumps; he was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't hear the other person. He sits up to look at the stranger. It's a man, a rather fat man if Rin is being honest, and he has a funny look on his face. He has a bottle in one hand, and a strange smell is filling Rin's nose when the man leans closer.

        A shiver runs up Rin's spine, gut also churning. For whatever reason this man is creeping Rin out. Rin stands up to create some distance.

"Wha'da doing here all alone?" the man continues, oblivious to Rin's reaction.

        "None of your business!" Rin replies bluntly. He continues to inched backwards when the man's goofy expression hardens. Goosebumps travelled up his arms, but he refuses to back down.

        "That's not a nice way to speak to your betters," the man scolds, though his voice is sluggish. "I should teach you a lesson, brat."

        This doesn't sound like a lesson he's taught in school.

        When the man reaches for Rin, Rin panics and punches the man in the balls. The man shouts and groans, dropping the glass bottle and holding his crotch, glaring venomously at Rin. "You fucking brat! I'll kill you!"

        Rin runs away from the angry man, but in what direction he doesn't know. He would have ran home, but when he runs in the opposite direction of the man, he also runs in the opposite direction of the church. He crosses the street and enters the still busy sidewalks. Those that aren't staring at their phones, either only gave Rin a glance or none at all. He continues running, passersby yelling at him as he bumps into them and tries to invade them.

        As he continues, fewer and fewer people are around. He is in a small, run down neighbourhood now. His Dad's warning about this place rings in Rin's head, but he completely forgets about it when he hears loud noises. It sounds like someone is getting hurt. Rin stops and strains to hear. Rin is breathing hard and sweat rolls off him. He shouldn't follow the sound, he was just running from a dangerous man! But he can't just ignore it either...What if someone needs his help? He could never forgive himself if he did nothing when he could have done something.

        So, against his gut feeling that this isn't a good idea, he jogs towards the sound and turns the corner, ending up in a closed space between two brick walls. In this space though, are five men. Four are standing, one over the fifth guy, who is laying on the ground, and the other three are close by. The man who is standing over the fifth is holding a gun. Before Rin can do anything or say something stupid, a sixth guy grabs him. Panic rushes through Rin as he flares and strugs against the tight hold.

        "Let me go!" Rin demands. The sixth grunts in pain as Rin is able to get in some hits.

        "What's with the kid?" one man asks. That and Rin's yells get's everyone else's attention. Rin feels helpless as the sixth man pushes him onto the ground, holding his head down and arms against his shoulder blades. He can't move his arms at all, because whenever he tries; sharp pain will run across and make him scream louder.

        "Shut him up!" another hisses, "He's going to blow our cover!" A shiny gilt catches Rin's attention. A fresh wave of fear washes over him when he realizes that it's a knife. A knife that they're going to use on kill him. Rin fights harder, but a "snap!" and a blinding pain stops him. His arm broke. The man who's holding the knife is getting closer, and Rin can't stop choking on his salty tears.

 _'No! I don't want to die,'_ Rin thinks desperately. ' _Please, someone save me! Dad! Yukio!'_

        Cold metal presses against his throat. Draws blood.

**No one is coming. He's going to die.**

_'NO!'_

        Suddenly, blue flames explod from his small body. The two men who are holding Rin scream and scramble away. They're both burning and the others have already ran away in terror. They try to roll on the ground and put out the flames, but it doesn't help. The smell of burnt flesh grows stronger as even their bones are burning away. The screams cease, as they are reduced to smouldering piles of ash and soot.

        Rin only sees blue, and he can feel the inside of his right arm move, slithering and withering as he feels something solid alien. He sits up and can't look away from the piles of ash. His lungs burn with the need for oxygen, something he's having trouble getting. His body won't stop shaking. He can hardly register the fact that he's on fire. Everything is happening too fast for his mind to follow.

        Black, moving blobs of stuff is growing behind Rin. It shapes itself into a square, solid edges are forming, and eyes pop out of it on top. When something grabs Rin's shirt, he is snapped out of his shell-shocked state. But, before he can do anything, he's already being suffocated by the gooey stuff.

_'Yukio...Dad...'_

* * *

        All I can see was black, and my eyelids feel heavy. Softness is beneath me, and warmth is wrapped around me. My fingers twitch, and that's when I hear a voice.

        "Ah, I can see that you're awake, little brother."

_'Little Brother? But I'm the older one...'_

        My eyes snap open with a startling thought; ' _that's not Yukio.'_ I bolt upwards, but then I groan and hold my head, my vision blurry and my stomach twisting.

        "Careful, you shouldn't be so rash," the voice says softly. A hand touches my hair and I jump back, causing myself to fall.

        "Aah!" I yelp. The ground is  _freezing_  and the fall doesn't help my dizziness. ' _Where I'm I...?'_

        "What did I tell you," the voice laughs. My vision clears and when I look around, my breath gets caught in my throat.

_'This isn't my room!'_

        I look up and see a man sitting on a big bed. He has short white hair and is dressed in dark brown robe-like pants and shirt with some kind of gold thing wrapped around his waist like a belt. But what I can't look away from was his eyes; they were completely white, being devoid of pupils.

        "Are you just going to lay there?" the man raises an eyebrow. My face gets warmer as I stand up.

        "Who are you?" I demand, "Where I'm I? Where's Yukio and dad? Where I'm I? Why I'm-"

        "-I am your older brother, Azazel, you are in your room, I do not know who Yukio is, Father is in the throne room-"

        "Dad's here?" I exclaim. My shoulders relax, if Dad is here then I know I'm safe. I'm not sure what else he said, but I know he knows where my Dad is! "Take me to him!"

        He seems amused with my actions, "Alright, but first we have to get you ready."

_'What?'_

        The man gets up and walks to a really big dresser, opens it up and pulls out an outfit; black dress shorts, knee high socks, a white button up shirt, a bright blue tie and a black dress jacket. My eyebrows pull together in confusion.

        "Why do I have to wear fancy clothes? It's not Sunday," I point to the clothes, and glare at the tie. I don't like ties.

        "Sunday?" he repeats, "Why should it matter what day it is? You are going to see Father, you need to look presentable no matter the day."

        "No I don't!" I argue, "Why do I have to wear fancy clothes? They're not even mine!" I know what my Sunday clothes look like, and those are not them. "I only wear my church clothes on Sundays!"

        Realization dawns on the man's face, "Ah. I think there is some miscommunication between us. See-"

        "-What's miss-comacation?" I interrupt. He's making my head spin with how he speaks. ' _Is that even Japanese? Cause I don't get it.'_

        "Miscommunication," he corrects. "We're not on the same page," he tries to explain.

        I don't really get it, but I don't want to look stupid so I say, "Ok. But I'm still not wearing that!"

        "Why not? I can always get the tailors to adjust them if they are not to your liking," he offers, still holding up the clothes.

        The fancy clothes Dad always makes me wear doesn't feel nice. They're so itchy and I can't move like I want to. "Why can't I just keep  _my_ clothes on?" I plea. More than anything, I don't want to wear the tie.

        "These  _are_ your clothes," he sighs.

        "No they're not!" I cross my arms, "All of my clothes are in my room." ' _Does he think I'm stupid? Cause I'm not! I'm so tired of adults thinking that!'_

        The man sighs again, "Fine, fine. But let's at least wash your hands and face." He drops the clothes on the bed and hoards me towards a door. He opens the door, and I gape. There's a bathtub, a shower, toilet and sink, but it wasn't a bathroom! The "bathtub" is as big as a tiny pool, with a stoned cycler wall thing in the middle, the shower is the widest and tallest I've ever seen, there are  _two_ sinks and huge countertops, pretty gold lights are shining from the ceiling and the walls have glass paintings on them!

        The man chuckles from behind me, and pushes me to one of the sinks. He grabs a cloth and wets it before pressing it against my face and rubbing. I grunt in discomfort, but he don't stop. I wash my hands, and after he leads me out of the "bathroom" and out another set of doors.

        This time it looks like one of those living rooms from castles you see in movies. But we don't stop there; we walk to and out of  _another_ big set of doors and enter a hallway. The walls and floor are dark and there are many windows and paintings. When I look outside; the sky is grey and the clouds are red instead of blue and white. But the grass is still green, though there are funny looking plants.

_'That's weird.'_

        "Where am I?" I ask the man. When I look at the paintings we're passing, my stomach twists and my baby hairs stand on end. There's one painting of someone getting his head chopped off, one of someone whipping a dog-like creature, and many more. They're all different, but there's two things in common; one, the people in them are demons, and I get more scared with each new painting.

        "You're in Gehenna, and in Father's castle," the man explains. He's walking in front of me, and I have to jog in order to keep up with him. I examine at the walls nervously, and down at the man's hand.

        I pause, "Wait, did you say _Dad's_ castle!?"  _Since when is Dad rich!? How did he get a castle!? "_ And what's a ganna?"

        "Gehenna," he corrects again, "Do you not know what Gehenna is?" This time he stops walking and stares at me.

        I shake my head.

        At this, the man looks frustrated. "Did they teach you  _nothing?"_ I don't think he was speaking to me, but I mutter a reply anyway.

        "Well,  _sorry..."_ I look at my old runners.

        "No, no," the man sighs and pats my head, "It's not your fault. It's those useless human's fault for not educating you."

        I'm confused on why he said "those humans," because isn't he one himself? (His eyes are strange, but aim pretty sure one of the priests told me about coloured contacts one time when I saw a stranger with two different eyes colours, while dressed as some sort of anime person.) But I don't say anything. The man continues to walk again, and I run to catch up. I glance at his hand again. Hesitantly, I reach out and hold it. The man glances at me from the corner of his eye, and raises an eyebrow. I don't say anything and turn my head away. Heat is warming my cheeks a bit, but this hallway is really creeping me out. It's so quiet and empty. The man seems a bit uncomfortable with my hand in his, but he doesn't't pull away either.

        A few moments of silence pass by before I say; "Hey, I've forgotten your name."

        The man chuckles and answers; "My name is Azazel, little brother. I am the King of Spirits, fourth in the hierarchy."

_'Little brother? King of ghosts? Here-akey?'_

        But before I can voice any of my questions, the man, Azazel, is already talking to a guy in black armour. "Open the doors."

 _'That's so cool!'_ I gaze at the other figure in wide eyes. ' _I bet he's a knight!'_

        The suit of armour bows deeply before doing as told. Two dark wooden doors open, revealing a big and spacious throne room. I would have ran all over the place and gush about how cool this all looks, if I didn't remember about my Dad. The only other person who is in here is a long and white haired man sitting on the throne. He's wearing expensive looking clothes; black dress pants and a black silk button up shirt. His bright blue eyes pop out against his pale skin, but what's really eye catching is the blue fire that is dancing on him.

        "Where's my Dad?" I face Azazel. He said that my Dad was here.

        "He is right here," Azazel nods towards the man on the throne, "Satan; God of all Demons and the ruler of Gehenna."

_Satan!? **The** Satan; first fallen angel!?_

        I look back at the man, now dubbed Satan, who is smirking and resting his head on one hand. "Hello, son," Satan greets smoothly, amusement ringing in his voice.

        I grip Azazel's hand tighter and fist my other hand. "That's not my Dad, my Dad has short hair and glasses!" I protest.

        Satan gets up from his throne, and slowly walks towards me. I inch closer to Azazel, glancing pleadingly at him, but only being met by emotionless eyes.

        "That human," Satan spits out, "Is not your real dad. I am, but you can call me papa if you want to," he smirks, like it's some sort of inside joke and reaches out to touch my head, but I slap his hand away and glare.

        "I want to see  _my_ Dad!"

        Satan's eyes narrow at my outburst, before chuckling. "Are you scared, little boy of mine?"

        I am. Shivers are running up my spine, and the corners of my eyes are getting moist. But I'm not going to cry. I'm a big boy, and big boy's don't cry. ' _What would Yukio think if he saw me?'_ That thought reminds me.

        "Where's my brother?" I demand, but my voice gets shaky near the end.

        "Which one?" Satan asks, still smirking.

 _'Which one?'_ "I only have one brother, Yukio! Where is he?"

        "Ah. Unfortunately, he is too human and therefore can't handle living in Gehenna. You aren't, though." There's a glint in his eyes that I don't like. Not one bit. "You are the only child that possesses my blue flames," he tips my chin up. "Let's see them."

        I start panicking, ' _What does he mean by "blue flames"? '_ A memory of me laying on the ground, and then suddenly two adults screaming in pain as they rolled on the ground. ' _I-I did that? B-But I didn't mean to!'_

        "Well? Come on," Satan urges.

        Azazel clears his throat, "I believe, Father, that the exorcist has trapped his powers in a demon's sword."

        Satan lets go of my chin and I shiver. "Is that so? Well, that will have to change. Send Astaroth to fix that, he's been whining about not causing chaos in Assiah for a while." But Satan doesn't look away from me, gaze seemingly to spear right at my very soul.

        "Right away, Father," Azazel answers curtly before leaving.

        Panic shoots through me as Azazel leaves me alone. I start to join him, but Satan stops with both hands on my cheeks, forcing me to face him. My throat goes dry as he continues to stare.

        "Your brother has Yuri's looks," Satan whispers to himself, "But you have her stubborn nature."

        My heart is practically leaping from my chest, but Satan does nothing but rub my skin gently. "W-What do you want?"

        I don't know what to make of his expression, only that I don't like it. "What I want is you, son. You and Yukio, but he will have to wait." Satan releases me with a final run through my hair, his sharp nails scraping my scalp and leaving me feeling lost.

        I sigh shakily as Satan stands up and walk back to his throne.

        "Oh, and Rin?" Satan says as the knight from before enters. "Welcome home," he grins, mouth full of sharp teeth.

_I never told him my name._

* * *

        Astaroth, Demon King of Rot, gets Satan's order fast. He wastes no time in jumping in a gate and sinking into Assiah. Luckily, there is a polluted human near by so he has no trouble in finding a host. He takes a deep breath, the air is so much nicer in Assiah than in Gehenna. He can't say the same for finding the church, though. The blasted wards aren't just for show, after all. It takes even longer to  _break_ the wards, but when he does, all hell breaks free. His kin attacks the house of God, and to be honest, Astaroth is disappointed. Only a few lowly humans are trying to defend it, excluding the Paladin!

 _'He's probably away, looking for the young prince,'_ Astaroth doesn't know whether to laugh or to be even more disappointed. Astaroth destroys an entire wall and destroys even more things in search for the sword. Of course, the humans  _tries_ to stop him, but his kin are keeping them busy.

        Finally, when some of the floor is destroyed, he finds a hidden level. And in this basement he has what he was looking for. Holding the sword in his claws, Astaroth grins manically. The sound of the blade leaving the sheath is heard even over the loud battle that is above him. Blue fire lights the blade, licking the air. Astaroth's orders are to find the sword in which Rin's powers lay, and to break it. And that's exactly what he does. The metal makes a very satisfying sound.

* * *

        The knight leaves me alone in the room I woke up in. He called it "your room," but it  _isn't_. My room is at the church, in As-I-ah, or whatever it's called. I'm just laying on one of the big couches, thinking about all that was happened, when suddenly my vision turns completely blue. At first I'm just startled, but when I realize that the couch is burning I scream. I jump off the couch, but then the floor starts burning too.

        "Get it off! Get it off! Help, someone!" I wail. Everything is going up in flames and there wasn't anything I can do. I'm sobbing now -I don't know what to do! The pair of doors that leads to to the hallway slam open, revealing Azazel.

        "Rin!"

        "A-Azzy..!" I run to him. But when I get close, he backs away.

        "Ouch!" he hisses, rubbing where I almost touched him. "Stay back!" he barks. I jump, and I can't stop my bottom lip from trembling. Tears run down my chin and drip onto the blue fire and floor. I try to reach out to him one last time, but he steps back.

_'W-Why...?'_

_-"Stay back!" a teacher shrieks as she holds a protective arm around a couple students. I take a step closer, but she steps back with the other kids. "Stay back," she repeats, "Demon!"-_

        Azazel curses and runs out of the room. I catch my reflection in a silver bowl. My eyes are red slits, two special spots of fire on my head, fangs when I open my mouth, a black tail that whacks my leg-

**I look like a demon.**

_'No! No, I'm not a demon! I'm not!'_

        I crouch down, buring my head in my knees as voices chant demon over and over again, echoing inside my mind.

_'Stop it! You're wrong! I'm not a demon, **I'm not! STOP!'**_

        "Rin," a voice calls. Cold fingers take my chin and pull my face out of my knees. "Look at me," Satan orders. "Calm down, or else everything will continue to burn." Behind him, Azazel is at a safe distance away. "Rin," Satan repeats, forcing my eyes back to him, "Do you hear me? Calm down and stop this."

        "I-I can't...!" I sob, tears staining my cheeks. My body is shaking and I'm having trouble breathing. "I-I c-can't-"

        "You can. You are my son, and no son of mine will lose control like some animal," he snaps. I jump, but Satan holds me tighter. "Listen to me, and repeat after me." His tone is low and leaves no arguments, eyes hard and unreadable. "Six, fifteen, seven..." Satan continues to count randomly as I try to do as told and breathe. They come out as shaky and unsteady, but after a few minutes, my breathing comes out normal again and my mind clears. As I calm down the fire becomes smaller and smaller, until nothing is left. My body is still shaking slightly, but that's from exhaustion more than anything. "Good," Satan says, and actually  _smiles_. It looks terrifying. He turns to Azazel, "Get someone to fix this room, and find a new room for Rin tonight."

        "W-Wait!" I grab onto Satan's hand before he can leave. Satan pauses, looking at me questionably. But my words are suddenly stuck in my throat, unable to escape.

        Satan arches a brow. "Yes?"

        "Can-Can...You, uh, can you..."

        "Can I  _what?"_

        I bite my lip, letting him go. "I-uh, never mind," I mumble. Shame floods me. What am I asking? What, for him to  _stay?_ He's a demon!

 _"So are you,"_  a little voice whispers.  _"And_   _he can keep the flames away."_

_-Screaming fills my ears, two figures stumbling and thrashing as blue eats them up-_

        "Come on, Rin," Azazel jolts me back to the present. I snap my head up, both Satan and Azazel staring and waiting. I stand, ignoring Satan, and follow Azazel.

        Several minutes later I'm in a new -much simpler- room, alone. I climb into the bed and wrap the blankets tight around me. The room is too quiet and still. I've never slept alone before; Yukio is always in the room with me. I would cry if I had any tears left.

_'Yukio...Dad...I miss you...'_

 


	2. To Be A Demon

        "Young Master, it's time to wake up," a voice urges as hands shake me. I open my eyes, and come face to face with a wall.

_'Wait, "Young Master"!?'_

        I sit up and look around with wide eyes. ' _Th-This isn't my room!'_ A man's back is turned to me, as he gets something. Only, he doesn't look human. He has black scales and thick horns. He's also has short black hair and is wearing a strange butler's outfit. ' _Wait...Oh...'_ 'Yesterday comes back to me. ' _T_ _hat wasn't a dream.'_ I feel something twitch behind me. It's my thin black tail.

        "I really am a I demon child..." I mumble. ' _They were right...'_ Tears swell up and I sniff, trying not to cry.

        "Good morning-" the other demon starts "-Why are you crying?" He questions, alarmed when he turns and faces me. His eyes are black -and I mean  _completely_ black.

        "I-I'm a  _demon!"_ I say, unable to stop.

        He looks even more lost now. "Yes, you are...?" I notice his fangs and fork tongue as he speaks.

        I feel my own, wincing as my normal tongue is cut on my fangs. "I don't  _want_ to be a demon! Demons are evil!"

        Understanding smooths out his troubled expression. "Some are," he agrees easily. "But so are some humans. Tell me, Young Master, you are aware that some humans murder each other? That they cheat and steal and do horrible things? Jails in Assiah are not for demons, but humans, correct?"

 _'That's true... But-!'_ "But I keep  _hurting_  Dad and my classmates! They-They say that I break  _bones!_ "

        The demon snorts, laying down clothes on my bed to put his fists on his hips. "I dare say you do, sir. Humans are terribly fragile." His expression is serious as he continues, "It is of no fault on your part, that you do not know how to control your strength yet. Not when faced with such weak things, at any rate. You'll come to know that the folk and materials  _here_ are much more durable."

        I bite my lip. "When I get angry...I black out...And-And I...I can't control it. I try  _really_ hard, but sometimes..."

        The other demon hums. "When do you 'black out'? What causes you to become so angry?"

        "When other kids pick on Yukio. Or when they call me a demon."

        He nods at that. "I imagine that's your instincts acting out."

        "What?"

        "Well, you've been living without a proper demon adult. Parents are supposed to be role models for their children, yes? Well it's a bit more complicated for demons. You see parents offer comfort and safety for their children, but without them a child's instincts will go 'crazy' for a lack of better word. With no constant, and stronger than your's, demonic reassurance you will subconsciously think yourself the one in charge. However, you are too young for that. You do not have the mental and emotional maturity for that responsibility, and so you will lash out more severely and more often when you see a threat. I can only assume that you see this Yukio as 'yours,' and therefore under your protection, much like a parent and child or a territory. It can only got worse with time, until you mature anyways," He explains. "Do you understand, Young Master?"

        I slowly nod. But I'm still confused. ' _But Dad is still my Dad...He's always been. Why wouldn't my instincts calm down with him? He's strong!'_ Yukio being my kid is just  _weird,_ too. Although, despite everything, I  _do_  feel a bit better. ' _If it's_ _normal...'_

        He relaxes his stance. "Good. My name is SazukiYenzo, and I will be your personal butler." It is then that I notice the bright blue tie he wears, the only colour his clothing has. "Let's get you dressed, yes?" As he steps closer, I tense. But he either doesn't notice or ignores it because he reaches for my chest.

        "H-Hey!" I protest, "What are you doing?" I cross my arms over my chest, and glare suspiciously at the demon. He doesn't  _seem_  evil, and his explanations has helped me some what, but I'm still kidnapped and he's still a stranger.

        "Getting you dressed," SazukiYenzo answers. "Is there a problem, sir?"

        "I can get dressed myself," I declare, tears dry, while I take off my shirt to prove my point. ' _I'm six, not one.'_

        "Of course, my apology, Young Master," he nods and backs off.

        I rub the back of my neck, "Why do you call me that?" I ask as I get off the bed.        

        He arches a brow. "Because you are young and my master."

        "But I'm just a kid!" It feels weird for an adult to call me "master."

        "True, but you are of royalty. As a simple servant, you are above me and it would be wrong of me to treat you like anything less," he explains smoothly. He says it like it's easier than one plus one. I take off my pants and start to put on my new ones.

        "Just call me Rin," I reply as I slip my arms through my white shirt. The outfit he took out looks exactly like the one Azzy suggested yesterday.

        "What?" he seems taken back, bewilderment all over his face. "I can't, it would be extremely rude and improper of me to call you by your name, Young Master."

        "But what if I want you to?"

        He simply shakes his head. "I would lose respect in the eyes of my fellow colleagues."

        "Oh. Do I have to wear a tie?" I question and hold up said blue tie.

        "It is part of your outfit," he replies.

        I pout. "I don't  _want_ to."

        SazukiYenzo simply waits until I begrudgingly put the tie on.

        "Would you like me to tie your shoes?" he questions.

        I shake my head no, "I can do it."

        "Very well. Today you will have breakfast and after you will learn about the basics of Gehenna, the types of demons, then we will move on to languages. It's very important that you learn the native tongues. After lunch you will train with High Lord Satan," he lists.

        "What?" I say dumbly.

        SazukiYenzo ignores my comment, his black eyes snapping to my tail. "Young Master, you must not show your tail."

        I glance behind and then look back at him, "Why not?" I tilt my head to the right slightly.

        "A demon's tail is their greatest weak spot, as well as their heart," he lectures, "So please only show your tail to those that you trust deeply and with your very life. Most demons allow it to be free around family and close friends, but there are of course exceptions. "

        "Oh," I mumble and tuck it underneath my shirt. I fidget as it the tip twitches against my naked skin. It isn't very comfortable having my tail wrapped around myself.        

        SazukiYenzo nods in approval before bowing and saying, "Please follow me." He turns around and walks out a pair of doors. Unlike the other room I was in, this one doesn't have a big living room so the doors lead straight to the creepy hallways. I watch SazukiYenzo as we walk.

_'He was kinda scary at first, but now he isn't. He's even kinda cool with his scales! I wonder if dragons exist?'_

        "Where's Azzy?" I ask.

        "Azzy?" he echoes. "Ah, you mean King Azazel? I believe his highness is in the dinning room."

        "Why's the hallway empty?"

        "Because all of the servants are doing their jobs else where."

        "How many servants are there?"

        "Many," he almost laughs.

        A moment of complete silence aside our footsteps.

        "Why are the hallways so big?"

        "Because we are in a big palace," he answers, "High Lord Satan's castle is in the center of Gehenna, and the biggest piece of land."

        "When can I go home?"

        SazukiYenzo arches a brow. "What do you mean? You are home."

        Anger spikes through me. "No! My home is with Dad, Yukio, and the other priests! At the  _church!"_

        He winces at my pitch. "Please do not yell, Young Master. And I...Do believe that it is a conversation for High Lord Satan and yourself." SazukiYenzo stops in front of an open pair of doors, and bows with his back to a door. "The dining room."

        Even though my jaw is clenched in irritation, it doesn't stop me from feeling awkward as I pass him and step into the room. Immediately, I spot Azzy sitting at the front of the  _very_ long table, eating some sort of food. There is another demon butler standing by the wall, but his tie is purple.

        Azzy lifts his head and smiles just as awkwardly. "Rin, good morning."

        "Morning," I murmur. I stand in the middle of the room, not knowing what else to say, until I finally decide to sit down across from him.

        A bird-like demoness enters from a single door. She bows and says something that I don't understand.

        I blink when she stares at me, waiting. I turn to SazukiYenzo for help.

        He clears his throat. "She is asking what you desire for breakfast, Young Master."

        "Um, can I have an omelet?"                

        "I'm afraid we don't have an 'omelet,' sir. Might I suggest something?"

        I shrug. He takes that as permission and rattles something off to the demoness.

        She listens before nodding and disappears. There's a heavy silence as no body speaks for a few moments.

        "So, are you settling in alright?" Azzy tries.

        " _No,_  because  _isn't_ my home, and I'm  _not_ staying," I glare at the table. I see SazukiYenzo grimace from the corner of my eye as I hear Azzy sigh.

        "I know this must be difficult for you, Rin, but-"

        " _This. Isn't. My. Home,"_ I ground out, turning my glare up at Azzy. "You  _aren't_  my brother and Satan  _isn't_ my dad!"

        Azzy watches me coolly. "Really?" he drawls. "That's not what I see."

        I glance down, and practically jump out of my skin when I notice the tiny blue flames dancing upon my arms. "Gah!" I try to pat them down, but it seems like that only makes them worse as they start to spread.

        "C-Calm down, Rin!" Azzy says sharply. "You'll burn down the whole castle!"

        My breath hitches. "I-I can't! It won't stop!" I'm dancing, jumping on each foot and around as the flames travel to the  _very flammable_ floor. _'Oh God, oh God-'_

        "What are you just standing there for!?" I barely realize that Azzy is snapping at SazukiYenzo. "Go get my Father!"

        "Right away, sir!"

 _"Rin!"_ Azzy commands my attention, couching on the table. For now the flames seem to stick to the floor and the decorations on the stone wall.  _"Calm down,_ for damn's sake!"

        "Easier said than done!" I snap back. It's getting really hot, the smoke filling my lungs  _-screaming in my ears, people rolling as the stench of human flesh-_

        -A piercing sound snaps me back to the present enough to notice the demoness from before, standing in the doorway, frozen in fear-

        "Move!" Satan pushes the demoness away and runs at me. "Rin, look at me," he snatches my face, nails biting into my skin. "The fire is not going to burn if you do not desire it too."

 _'Lair! I don't want it to burn,_ right now _, and-'_

        "Repeat after me. Three, eight, sixteen, four..."

        As I repeat the random words, slowly my mind clears and the fire dies out. Once that happens, and Satan is sure, my face is released and he straightens. I flinch when I look around. Smoke is still heavy in the air, testified by coughs and the itch in my throat. Most of the floor is black, chipped, and even having wholes in certain places here you can look down at the room below. Most of the decorations are gone, a golden thing melted in a corner. The walls and bottom of the chairs and table isn't much better off.

        "Now, someone tell me what the  _fuck_ happened here!"

        I can't bring myself to took at Satan. Thankfully, Azzy speaks up.

        "Rin and I...Got into an argument about here his home is, Father."

        "I see," Satan says simply, voice hard. "Come along, Rin. We  _obviously_ cannot put off your training until later."

        Mutely, joins stiff and eyes glued to the floor, I follow him out of the destroyed room.

        "Get this room fixed," Satan orders SazukiYenzo.

        SazukiYenzo bows deeply. "Of course, my Lord."

        The room Satan leads me in has light coloured walls, black tiled floor with a white matt on the left side, the biggest weights for lifting, a punching bag, a pile of candles, and other things I can't name.

        Satan settles down on the matt. "Sit down."

        I do.

        Satan gabs a candle and sets it between us. "Now, try to light this."

        I bite my lip, unsure. I shake my head no.

        "Look at me."

        Again, I silently shake my head.

        "Rin," he warns lowly. " _Look_ at me."

        I flinch at his tone. Slowly, I raise my gaze. It's hard to guess what he's feeling, he's so stoic, but he doesn't  _sound_ happy. I know  _Dad_ wouldn't be if someone destroyed the house.  _Twice._

        "Why do you refuse?"

        I mumble something.

        "Speak  _up."_

        "I don't want to burn something else," I say louder.

        "Yes, well, that  _is_ why we are training," Satan taps his knee impatiently. "Now light it."

        "But what if I-"

        "I do not enjoy repeating myself, Rin. And neither will you."

_-Running, screaming, rolling, the unmistakable smell of flesh melting, white bone being revealed as they groan and reach, blue licking and devouring it all-_

        I squeeze my eyes shut.  _'_ _Deep breaths,'_ I tell myself. My throat closes up. Heart beating against my chest. Blood rushing through my ears. ' _I killed them, killed them, killed-'_

        Long fingers lift my chin up. "Do I need to peel your eyes open myself? Or should I  _melt_ them off?"

        My eyes snap open, locking with blazing blue ones.

_'Just like mine.'_

        "Why do you hesitate?" Satan demands.

        I lick my dry lips. I blink away the flashes of death. "I-I killed  _them,_ and-and almost -I almost killed Azzy. Sa-SazukiYenzo, too."

        "You're getting worked up because you killed a couple of humans?" He scoffs. "Ones that was trying to kill  _you?"_

 _"I_ killed  _them!"_ I shout furiously  _-'how can he just scoff? They're gone and I'm not, I murdered them, I took away their_ lives-' suddenly the candle is completely ablaze in blue fire.

        Satan eyes the melting candle until it's gone and the fire dies out with it. "So you've said."

        I pant, a mess of emotions, as he takes his time.

        "Listen, and listen well. There will be times where you must kill your opponent. Because if you  _do not,_ you will be the one who is slaughtered. They were seconds away from slicing your throat. Tell me, Rin, do you wish to die?"

        "No!"

        Satan smiles that terrible smile of his. "No, I thought not. Try again, and this time only light the tip."

        "I don't want to," I mumble stubbornly.

        Satan sighs. "You can not be afraid, Rin, or else one day the flames will consume you. And that day  _will_ be soon."

        I don't respond.

        Satan narrows his eyes. "Very well, it seems like we shall have to break that human upbringing out of you," he stands and I inch back.

        "What?"

        He ignores me and my flinch as he reaches and pulls me up. "Come along, now."

        "Where-Where are we going?"

        Again, I'm ignored. His grip is iron so I highly doubt I can break free. He marches us through different hallways and down into what looks like a dungeon. We got many curious looks, though I noticed none looked neither Satan or me in the eye, but all stayed out of the way. Glancing at Satan, I don't blame them.

_'Am-Am I going to be locked up..?!'_

        While the cells' bars are in prime condition, the same can't be said for anything else. Bile raises in my throat from the stench alone. Grime and any other nasty things cover the walls and floor. The prisoners -all demons- have sunken, hallow eyes, bony fingers grip the bars as they press themselves against their cell or curl up into a ball, clutching the ratty blankets and with their skinny and sharp ankles poking out.

        I quickly look away. A heart-wrenching scream is released -probably only a couple doors away- but no one reacts.

_'Oh God, that's going to be me-'_

        "Deep breaths," Satan reminds me before turning his attention to a nearby posted guard. He says something in another language, and I focus on my shallow breathing.

        Out of the corner of my eye I can see the guard glancing at me numerous times in the conversation, but I swallow and silently count to ten. Isn't that what you're supposed to do?

        "Rin. Rin."

        "What?"

        "You are not going in a cell."

_'Oh.'_

        I don't say anything. I don't need to, as my blood gradually settles down. "What-What we doing...Doing here, then?"

        "You shall see, my son."

        I really hate it when he calls me that.

* * *

        "Have they found Nii-san yet?" Yukio asks pleadingly at father Fujimoto. They, the other priests, some of Fujimoto's trusted friends and the police have been searching for Rin nonstop, and without finding even the smallest of clue as to what happened.

        "I'm afraid not," it pains Fujimoto to say it, and it makes his heart shatter even more to see the broken hearted expression on Yukio's face. "But we are doing everything we can to find him, so don't you worry." Even though he said it, he doesn't know how much of it is true. From the attack yesterday, there is a huge possibility that Rin has been taken to Gehenna. Fujimoto has been haunted by the thoughts and images of what the demons could be doing to Rin right this very moment, the pain that his baby boy could be forced to suffer from. It doesn't help that he no longer feels Satan pushing to possess him. Father Fujimoto  _never_  thought he would say this, but right now, he really wants to feel Satan's fingers try to claw his way through his internal walls. Why? Because it's a sign that Satan still hasn't gotten what he wants.

        Yet, there's no voice whispering or a cold feeling clutching his chest.

        Yukio just nods numbly, looking at the ground. He bites his bottom lip before asking; "Did that demon take him? The one that attacked the church?"

        Fujimoto is surprised at first, but then crouches down to Yukio's level. He feels like he's ages a hundred years within these past forty-eight hours. "I'm not sure. It's a possibility, but we're still going to look for Rin. The attack may have been just that; an attack." Lord in Heaven, Fujimoto prays that's true, but the rock in his gut disagrees. So does the missing Demon Slaying sword.

        "I want to help," Yukio stares at him with fierce determination. "I want to become strong so I can save Nii-san from the demons!"

        Fujimoto forces a fake smile on his face and ruffles Yukio's hair. "I know, and you will." Just...Not anytime soon. (He'll train Yukio, of course, now more than ever, but no missions. Absolutely none. Not until he's at least at the proper age.) He doesn't know if he'd survive if a demon snatches Yukio up as well.

* * *

        I'm going to die.

        I'm going to die, and I can't seem to find any more panic in me. Maybe I used it all up?

        I'm faintly aware of Satan putting his hands on my shoulders and gently rubbing my biceps. He leans in to whisper, "You see that criminal over there?"

        How  _can't_ I?

        "That  _gentleman_ is in prison for toying with and mudering children. Just. Like. You-"

        My mind is completely blank.

        "And if you do not kill him today, he shall be released and will be able to do whatever he pleases. Is that what you wish, Rin? He first bats them around, and when they are a sobbing mess he ever so slowly cuts them open with his  _very_ sharp claws. He drags out their organs, and I have even witness him feed a few to his victims-"

        Something distantly blares, like a horn. Satan stops. Whispers something else in my ear that I don't hear and pushes me into the areana.

        The crowd -demons of all sizes and shapes- cheers. The criminal pauses, and then bends over with a deep belly laugh when he spots me. He says something that I don't understand.

        I only snap out of it when he starts approaching -the full realization sinking into my bones.

_'I'm going to die.'_

        The criminal is huge and sends a spike of fear through me. There's scars and old cuts all over his red and brown skin, his yellow snake-like eyes narrowed and unblinking. Unlike the others in the dungeon, he clearly isn't starved. He's thrice my height, and four times my weight! I swear my reflection is shown in his razer-sharp teeth.

        The criminal says something as he continues to stalk forward, and I continue to evade and keep the distance. His predatory leer wavers when I don't respond. He barks something else.

        "I-I don't understand!" I stamper fearfully.

        His yellow eyes glint knowingly, hunger dancing in them. "Ah, an Assiah brat." His voice is scratchy and gruff. "I don't know  _why_ they gave me you, but I'm going to fucking enjoy this," he laughs cruelly.

        I make the mistake of glancing away when there's a particular loud complaint from the crowd. In a blink my head explodes from pain as I'm knocked down. My right ear is still ringing when a hand grabs my arm and throws me across the arena. I inhale sharply, several things in my chest  _snapping._

        "I don't know who you pissed off, or how-" I'm pulled up by my collar "-And I don't really care. You're going to be  _delicious._ " Something wet and slimly licks the side of my face -and I realize that it's an  _extremely long tongue-_

        "Please," I squeeze my eyes shut and plead. ' _Please, please, please, make it stop-'_

_-Cold metal presses against my throat. Draws blood-_

_'No! No, no, no, no, no,_ No!'

        I scream mindlessly, my eyes snap open again, when I feel the pressure on my arm and it cracks. Agony -it's agony and I-

_"It is either you or him, son. Remember that."_

        My vision is suddenly shrouded in blue, my whole body heating up as another scream is shrilled. The  _fire_ -the intense heat- crawls up my chest, neck, head, and down to my arm, before spreading and settling there. Bones move and align, somethings else rips before getting sowed back together.

        My head moves to the scream. My vision tunnels to the withering figure a few feet away.

_'Prey.'_

        Rage fills me -there's a growl- and then I'm upon my prey. I like the terrified sound that my prey makes as I sink my teeth into it's throat, ripping the flesh apart. I lick the blood from around my month. Eyes fly to another figure approaching. It's big, strong -too strong for prey. A warning growl. It doesn't stop. I back away -the air suffocating, pressing me down, it's too strong, not prey - _enemy._ Enemy, enemy, enemy-

        The enemy encloses itself around me, pinning myself against and away from it _. 'Danger! Enemy!'_ I yelp, growl, thrash and try to dig my claws into its skin. The heat intensifies, but the enemy doesn't let go. Squeezes me tighter.

        The air is choking me -it's too strong, too powerful- I whimper.

        "...Alright...Proud...So proud, son...You...Well done..." it says soothingly.

        My energy leaves me, and so does the burning heat. I whimper again as it turns me and presses my face into its chest.  _'Too strong for prey...No pain...Danger...?'_

        "That's it...All over. You won...I'm proud of you."

        Everything goes dark.


	3. Thicker Than Water

        "Young Master...Young Master..."

        I groan, sluggishly rubbing my eyes. SazukiYenzo is leaning in, concern all over his face. "Wha-What happened?" I yawn.

        SazukiYenzo's lips thin in displeasure. "You... _sparred_  yesterday. Lord Satan carried you to your room afterwards, and he requests your company after breakfast."

        My eyes widen as everything hits me at once. The candles, the dungeons and arena, the blinding  _pain. 'Then...And then...Warmth? Arms embracing me...?'_ "Did someone rescue me?" I stare up at SazukiYenzo.

        If possible, he looks even more disapproving after I ask. "No," he answers curtly, turning around to get my clothes. "There was no need for that, sir. You won in the end."

        My mouth goes dry. "Wha-What?"  _'No need...? But I -Oh. Oh.'_ I hug myself, suddenly feeling cold and empty all at once.

        "You have no lessons planned today, or the next five days in fact, aside from training with Lord Satan. However-"

        "What?" I interrupt, squeaking. "Why?" ' _No, no, I don't want to be with_  him!'

        "All of your lessons are cleared aside from the ones with your Father," SazukiYenzo repeats. "However," he carries on, "An hour after lunch will be dedicated to your time with King Astaroth. He has been very excited to meet you, sir."

        "Do I have to?" I whisper.  _'Please say no. Please say no.'_

        He seems taken back for a second. "Pardon? Do you mean the meeting with King Astaroth? Well, I suppose not, but it would be extremely rude-"

        "No, I mean Satan."

        SazukiYenzo's eyes soften at that. "I'm afraid so." He lays down my clothes for the day on the bed, and when I don't move, reaches for my PJ's buttons. "You know..." he hesitates, "You should not feel bad, Young Master. That man you fought had been a truly despicable individual. It was either you or him, and I for one am glad that  _you_ are the one that survived."

_'That's what he said.'_

        "I can't remember what happened. Sa-Satan said, that, he said that if I di-didn't win that he-he would go free," My voice hitches, tears swelling up in my eyes. My chest is compressed so painfully, and I can feel little tingles on my head and arm where he hurt me. I furiously wipe away the tears that streak down my cheeks.

        SazukiYenzo freezes. Before resuming, pulling my new shirt though my arms like I didn't say anything. "If that true, then I'm afraid Lord Satan lied. I find it incredibly hard to believe that Maikio would give up having a new toy. Sadistic that he is," he mutters the last part.

        "Who's Maikio?"

        "He is the Head demon in charge of torturing prisoners and the dungeon."

        "Oh. What does 'sadistic' mean?"

        SazukiYenzo's eyes flicker up to mine. "An individual who enjoys inflicting pain on others."

        "Oh. Was-Was the criminal I...Fought one too?"

        "Yes. I believe some called him Legiko the Feeder, famous for feeding his's victims their organs."

_'That's what he said, too.'_

        I bite my bottom lip. "Did he usually kill kids?"

        "...Yes, that is correct. Truly, Gehenna is better off without the likes of him." SazukiYenzo mutters something else under his breath, but it's too quiet for me to hear. "Now, let's crease this dreary talk, shall we?" He stands and motions for me to do the same.

        The rest of the time is spent getting ready and walking to a different dinning room in silence. I notice that numerous demons stop and stare while I pass, or poke out of rooms and around corners in order to take a look. Most of them whisper amongst themselves when they think I'm not watching, and bow when they know I am.

        Heat creeps up my neck, and I wish the ground would just swallow me up already. I can't bring myself to look anyone in the eyes.

        "Ah! There's the little prince!" A loud cheer draws mine and, thankfully, everyone else's attention. Several feet away is a  _very big_  demon, one with a goat's horns, dirt-coloured skin with strange dark and straight markings down his red eyes, long brown hair pulled into a pony tail, and dressed finely which is at odds with the rest of him. His grin, full of razor-sharp teeth, is creepily too wide.

        Immediately, my hairs stand on end and I want nothing to do with him.

        "King Astaroth," SazukiYenzo blinks in surprise, before bowing and straightening. "Forgive me for wondering, but I thought we couldn't expect you until later in the evening?"

        Astaroth's eyes narrow at the servant, sneering. He turns to me, sneer quickly being replaced with that too-wide grin. "Yes, well, when I heard what my newest brother did I just couldn't wait! Already crushing bones and destroying souls, are we?" he laughs. "You sure work fast! I'm sorry that I missed your first kill. I don't think even I started as young as you. I was, what, going on my eighth year?"

 _'I don't like him.'_ I inch closer to SazukiYenzo. "I-I didn't  _crush_  his bones," I protest weakly, eyes flickering to SazukiYenzo.  _'At least I don't think so...'_

        He gives a small shake of his head.

        Astaroth, though, waves my words away and places a heavy hand on my shoulder. "You still  _killed_  him, though, didn't you? That's the part that counts. Any thoughts on next time?"

        "Next time?" I stop struggling against his hold and freeze.  _'No, no, no-'_

        "Of course 'next time'!" Astaroth exclaims like it's obvious. "I liked your style with ending a child killer -nice touch with the irony, there- but maybe-"

        SazukiYenzo clears his throat. "Pardon me, but I'm afraid the Young Master is late for breakfast, and then his meeting with Lord Satan."

        Astaroth's eyes flash with rage, his grip on my shoulder turning painful (causing me to yelp), before calming down and smiling like nothing happened. "Of course. Then I'll join you for breakfast, little prince."

        "Th-That's okay," I free myself from his clutches. "I'm not actually very hungry, so.." I pause.  _'I have no where to go. I don't want to go to Satan, but I don't want to stay here with him...'_

        "Of course, sir. Come along then," SazukiYenzo carries on. "If you'll please excuse us, your highness."

        "I'll see you again later!" Astaroth calls after slyly.

        I'm not entirely sure if it's a threat or not.

        Once we're well out of earshot, I tell SazukiYenzo; "I don't like him."

        His lips thin and he says nothing, but I have a feeling that he agrees with me. SazukiYenzo leads me to two giant wooden doors, and steps off the side. "Lord Satan is waiting inside, sir."

        "Can you -can you come in with me?" I plea. My heart sinks to my toes when he winces and denies. I nod mutely, staring at the looming doors. I really don't want to go in. I really don't want to be here. I stand there, stiff, until SazukiYenzo clears his throat pointedly and I force myself to move.

        The door doesn't creek when I slowly open it, but immediately Satan's attention is on me. He's lounging on one of the chairs on the right side. The room seems to be both an office and sitting room.

Satan arches a brow. "Well," he drawls, "Are you coming in?"

_'No.'_

        Yet, despite all my fears I mechanically move and sit on the couch farthest away.  _'Please don't send me back to_ _arena, please don't make me fight again-'_

        The door closes shut.

        Satan's gaze bores into mine as I fidget, desperately wishing I was  _anywhere_ but here. I just really wish Dad was here. He would have  _never_ made me fight that criminal. Would never force me to do things like Satan is.

        "Do you regret it?"

        "Re-Regret what?" I question, heart pounding in my ears.  _'Please don't send me back, please don't make me fight-'_

        "Regret killing him, Rin. Do you regret ending him? Saving yourself?"

        "I-"  _'I don't know.'_ He's was trying to kill me -he  _hurt_ me. Badly. And-And so did those other two guys...But...

        "Do you fear your flames?" he continues when I don't answer.

        "I don't know," I admit truthfully. They saved me, they never hurt  _me,_  but every time I use them-!

        Satan sighs and rests his head on his palm, elbow on the chair's armrest. "Tell me, what are your hobbies?"

        "What?" I blink at the sudden change.

        Satan simply waits.

        "I-Ah, like to help Dad and the other priests cook?" I flinch when fury flashes cross Satan's expression, although his whole being goes stoic a moment later.

        "Before that," he growls, "I must tell you a story. Did that  _exorcist_ ever explain to you and Yukio what happened to your mother?"

        I don't respond.

        "Rin," he warns. "Answer me when I ask something of you."

        I dare to shake my head no. Dad only said that it was snowing when we were born.

        He lets out a ragged breath, and releases his balled fist. "I suppose it's for the best. Don't want scum to tell our story," he mutters to the side darkly. He turns his eyes, which looks like fire is flickering and dancing in them, back on me.

        Anger spikes through me when he calls my Dad  _scum,_ but I bite the inside of my cheek, the memory of the arena flashing through my mind.

        "I have...Never been able to properly possess anyone or anything in Assiah. My power is too great and they will quickly burn out. Your mother, however, your mother was  _special._ Her name was Yuri. For whatever reason she could withstand my flames. She..." Here, he pauses. He looks so lost that any anger I gained rains out of me. I can't help but wonder what he's feeling right now.

        He-He looks so  _sad._ Wistful. Mad. A whole lot of everything. Human.

        "At any rate," he carries on while not looking at me, "She was different from everyone. Your mother-" he chuckles hollowly "-She actually  _allowed_ me to possess her. Partly. Asked me to, even. She taught me...A great number of things."

        "What things?"

        "Excuse you?"

        "What things," I repeat. My nerves suddenly return to me. I duck my head. "I-I mean-!" I stamper.  _'Why did I open my mouth?! I actually forgot who I was speaking to for a second!'_

        "Those are stories for another time," Satan responds curtly.

 _'He doesn't sound angry anymore though...'_  Gradually, I relax back into my seat. I hadn't noticed that I did previously until I wasn't anymore.

        "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Your mother was certainly one of a kind. Kind and open minded. Stubborn and brave, too, especially for those that are defenseless -you actually get that from her. She allowed me into her body and to experience Assiah for longer than a few fleeting moments. However-" Satan scowls darkly, little spits of blue jumping from his hands "-However the exorcists eventually found out. They ordered,  _demanded,_ her execution."

        I gasp, gut churning.

        "Yes. And her father was the one that voiced it. They tied her up so that they could burn her at the stake. Like some evil  _witch._ I burned many exorcists that day. I was desperate to save your mother, and it wasn't until I got a hold of that filth that claims to her father that I managed it. However, like all but her's, I could not last long. Your mother gave birth to you and Yukio in a cave, surrounded by her demonic  _friends._ Life is a cruel thing, though, and she died shortly after it. I believe the humans name it the 'Blue Night.' For a few human years I blamed you and your brother," Satan admits and my unease increases. "You two lived and she didn't."

        But then his eyes soften, just the barest amount. "Yet, I later realized that you two are the last gifts she gave to me. Yukio has her kindness, smarts, and looks. You have always stood up to those seemingly bigger than yourself, always sticking up for the 'little people' as some would say. I used to believe that it was weakness, to be honest. Not to mention her stubborn nature, although I'm not sure if it's entirely from  _her."_

        Satan's words give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Dad always dodged the question of our mom, so it's  _nice_ to finally know about her, even if her story is sad. But I have to ask... "Why do you hate Dad?" I blurt out. "He saved us, didn't he? Took us in?"

        His lips thin in displeasure, his expression hardening again. "While that may be true, it doesn't mean his did it out of  _'goodness'_ of his heart. He could have been trying to raise you for True Cross to collar and use," he spits the name out venomously.

        "No! That's not true!" I protest. "He loves us! He said so!"

        Satan sneers, and I shrink back into my seat. "Oh? 'He said so'? Humans and demons alike  _lie,_ you know. If he loved you so much, then why is he still working for that blasted organization? Why does he still insist on being an exorcist, when he knows that it puts you and your brother in more danger? And not just  _any_ exorcist, but the  _Paladin_ at that."

        "Wh-What?"  _'Dad...Works for the people that tried to kill Yukio and me? And mom? Didn't he -I thought he said that they were friends?'_

        "Oh yes," Satan confirms bitterly. "You didn't believe that he was  _just_ a priest, did you? How do you think he was able to afford to raise you and Yukio?"

        I did think he was just a priest. Though I did wonder why he owns a gun...

        He continues, "Are you aware that he made a bet with my second eldest, Samael, at the night of your birth? He was about to slay both of you, but decided to raise you two as humans at the last second." Satan makes sure to stare right into my eyes when he says the last part; "And that if he failed, Yukio and yours lives would be Samael's to own. Do you not understand, Rin? He does not want you if you are not human."

        "No!" I shout, feeling something sharp pierce my heart. "No, no, no! That's not true!" My vision gets blurry as tears prickle my eyes.

        "Quit that," Satan commands sharply.

        I sniff. "It's not true," I mumble. "It's not."  _'It can't be. I refuse to believe it!'_

        Satan stands, and stalks across the room to a hand-held mirror on a bookshelf. He picks it up and comes to stand in front of me. "Samael," is all he says. There's a tense moment where nothing happens, but then the mirror ripples and a...Clown appears? He's grinning a fake one, with purple hair and goatee like Dad, white top hat and dopey eyes.

        "Father," the Clown greets stiffly. "What a surprise! What do I owe this call to?"

        I have a feeling that this isn't a  _nice_ surprise.  _'Wait, is_ this  _Samael?'_

        The mirror is positioned is such a way that I can see the Clown, but he can only see Satan. "I'm sure you've already heard about one of the twin's disappearance, haven't you?"

        If the Clown hadn't been attentive before, he certainly is  _now._ "Yes, I have. Can I assume you have something to do with it?" He replies carefully.

        Satan turns the mirror to me. I catch a glimpse of the Clown's surprise before he masks it, the only emotion on his face being his raised brows.

        "Well... Hello there. I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Mephisto Pheles, your second eldest brother-"

        "I thought your name was Samael," I interrupt.        

        The Clown scowls, eyes flickering to Satan. "That is my birth name, yes, but I prefer to go by  _Mephisto."_

_'Nah, you're Clown.'_

        "Is this a  _social_ call, Father?"

        "Explain to Rin about the circumstances around his and Yukio's birth," Satan orders.

        "Ah. That." Clown nods sagely. "And whatever is stopping  _you_  from doing so?" When Satan simply waits, the Clown quirks a brow. "I see," he drawls. He debates, a finger on his chin in deep thought, until I can't take it anymore.

        "He says that Dad bet mine and Yukio's lives on us not being demons with you, and that Dad's working for the Cross-something that killed our mom! Is that true?" I demand.  _'Please say no, please say no, please say no-'_

        "I'm afraid so. I even trapped your flames in a demon slaying sword to make it fairer. If he failed, which he obviously did at least halfway, you and your brother would come to me."

        My mind goes blank, but at the same time it's swirling. It feels like my world has just tipped.  _'That can't be! He-He...Why would he do that...He bet our lives...?'_ It's as if there's a crushing weight on my chest. I-I just can't believe that-

        "That will be all, Samael," I'm faintly aware of Satan saying that before putting the mirror down. "Rin," he tips my chin up and says softly. "Know that  _I_ never cared whether you are human or demon. You're Yuri's son, and mine, after all."

        Like a great damn is broken, sob finally breaks free. I rush to the only pair of arms there is. Satan tenses, before relaxing and wrapping his arms around me, lifting me up so that I'm sitting on his lap. But I don't care about that.

        "There, there," Satan murmurs. "Shh, it is alright." he runs his nails through my hair, scratching my scalp gently and rubbing my back. It only makes me cry harder.  _"I_ am here, son."

* * *

        For the next three days I stay in my room. I barely do anything, but I'm constantly without energy. I just lay in bed, wishing Satan -my  _father-_ hadn't told me all that he did. I wish I never snuck out of the church, never investigated the screaming and never ended up  _here._ I wish Dad never found Yukio and I, never  _only wanted us humans and betted on our lives._

_-"Stay back!" a teacher shrieks as she holds a protective arm around a couple students. I take a step closer, but she steps back with the other kids. "Stay back," she repeats, "Demon!"-_

_-"Dad? Are they right? I'm I a demon?"_

_Dad couches in front of me with a soft, concerned expression. He pulls me into a warm hug and I bury my face in his chest. "No, no, of course you're not, Rin. You're no demon. Don't listen to those people, okay? You'll_ never  _be a demon."-_

        Well, I'm one now.

        But most of all, I wish I would stop  _hurting_ so much!

        Would Dad hate me, if he saw me now? Would he get out his hidden gun that he doesn't know that I know? Would  _Yukio_ hate me?

        There's a knock on my door -the one that leads to my own sitting room. They fixed it up from my first day here. "Young Master?" SazukiYenzo questions. "I have your lunch."

        I can't bring myself to respond, so I don't. He enters anyways.

        "Young Master," he sighs, shoulders dropping at the sight of the cold breakfast on my nightstand -right next to my cold dinner from yesterday. I'm just not hungry. I haven't been for the past couple of days. "You have to eat at some point, you know. I'd hate for you to waste away."

        I keep staring at my ceiling.

        "Would it be better if I asked the cooks to prepare an Assiah dish?" SazukiYenzo hesitates, before giving in and sitting down next to me. "Please talk to me, sir."

        "...I want to see Yukio." I  _need_ to see him,  _need_ to know if he feels to same as Dad...! But at the same time I'm terrified what he'll say when he noticed my differences. I want to go up to them and demand answers, but at the same time I just want to hide away in a hole forever.

        "This wallowing is not healthy," SazukiYenzo says instead. "Lord Satan has given you time to think on whatever he has said, but I believe it's only making your case worse. So eat up, and I shall show you something special."

        "I don't want to," I say mulishly.

        "Well, I suppose the it's a good thing I'm not asking," he retorts sternly and holds out a forkful of food in front of my face. "Now eat."

        I begrudgingly do. I end up eating the whole plate. I hardly taste anything, though.

        "Good," he praises once I'm all done. "Now, why don't change you out of these wrinkled and days old clothes, shall we?"

        Once I'm dressed and washed to SazukiYenzo's satisfaction he leads me out of my room and through the long hallways. I can't bring myself to feel embarrassed about the stares this time. I even find them annoying, in fact.  _'Why do they keep staring? Don't they have something better to do?'_ I glare in retaliation, and surprisingly some actually flinch.

* * *

        Neck bent upwards, I stare gobsmacked at the beast before me. The  _dragon. 'It's a dragon! A real life, freaking'_ dragon!'

        Okay, so maybe it's not  _exactly_ a dragon, but it's pretty damn close!

        One of the trainers -I can't remember either of their names- says something to SazukiYenzo but I don't look away from the  _totally awesome_ dragon. How can I?

        The deep grey scaly body is long -like  _really, really_ long- and even though it's only laying down its four times my height. There's a thick, hooked horn in the middle of its forehead and in between the silted green eyes. I can't see any back legs -only the folded front ones- and has weird, flappy ears. Kinda like the webbed ones you see on water monsters on TV. The only thing it's missing is the giant bat-like wings on its back.

        "This is an old water mabic," SazukiYenzo informs while smiling. "Her name is Lozuki."

        I don't care what her species is called. She's a  _dragon!_ Wingless, sure, but still a dragon in my books! "Can-Can I ride her?" I plea breathlessly.

        SazukiYenzo turns and asks the trainers for me.

        This seems to really hype up the younger one of the two, and they exchange sly looks. The older one chatters something and the younger one runs off.

        "What did they say?" I ask SazukiYenzo excitedly.  _'Please say yes, please say yes-'_

        His lips twitch into a smirk, eyes glinting. "They said they will get your saddle right away, sir."

 _"YES!"_ I cheer loudly and fist-bump the air. "Thank you, thank you,  _thank you!"_ I can't help but run up to the trainer that didn't leave -the older one- and hug him tightly.

        "Lozuki is one of their most docile mabic, used primarily to teach the basic's of mabic riding, so you should receive no trouble with her," SazukiYenzo adds.

        I let go of the shocked trainer with a grin. I face SazukiYenzo again. "Can she breath fire?"

        "She is a  _water_  mabic," he reminds me gently. "Her natural habitat is in water, so I'm afraid she doesn't breath fire. However, there are different mabic that  _do."_

        "Can I see them next?" I beg with wide eyes.

        "I'm sure it can be arranged," SazukiYenzo replies with a chuckle.

        The younger trainer re-appears with saddle that has a small seat and tall back but really thick and long straps. He -cause he looks like a dude- clicks and clucks his tongue.

        I step back immediately, mildly surprised, when Lozuki turns to the trainer and lays down her long neck. Both trainers get on either side of her and work to get the saddle on.

        It's difficult getting on the water dragon's back -eh, shoulders?- and I have to admit that's scary being so high up.  _Especially_ when Lozuki stands and starts moving. My heart gets lugged into my throat when I almost fall off!

        Still, it's  _awesome._ We do a couple of laps -in a slow pace walk, of course- but I think Lozuki gives the adults a heart attack when she tries to go into the deep ocean-like water with me (which is right on the edge of the track/training grounds.) I know  _I_ got freaked out for a moment. I still don't regret asking to ride her, though. No way.

        Eventually, though, Lozuki has to go eat. I'm extremely disappointed until SazukiYenzo says that we can go check out the other elemental mabics.

        I notice that the younger trainer is gone, leaving the older one to be our guide. Now that I'm not so focused on Lozuki I take a good look at the trainer. He seems bear-like, with a short snout and a huge, muscly form but without any fur. He also has long elf ears that stick right up into the air.

_'I'm going to call him Bear.'_

        Bear escorts us first to the three free air dragons, which all seem smaller than Lozuki. They also have the extra legs and wings that Lozuki is missing. Their ears are like bats', only even bigger in order to fit their great body. The other obvious difference is that they have feathers instead of scales. I watch them safely behind the bars. Two of them seem to be in some sort of fight...They're growling and snapping at each other, circling, and one of them raises itself on its back legs.

        "What's happening?" I wonder, a little worried.

        SazukiYenzo translates my question to Bear. "He says that the purple one is new, so the other two aren't used to him yet. They are establishing who is most dominate. He says not worry for there are other trainers watching nearby in case of an emergency."

        "Oh. Why are they smaller and more colourful than Lozuki?"

        "I believe it's because the females are typically bigger than their male counterparts, and the males are more beautiful of the two as to attract a mate."

        "Do all the boys have feathers instead of scales?"

        "No, that is an air type only feature. The females have feathers too."

        Next, I get to see the earth types. Unfortunately the couple -one male and one female- that Bear shows me are fast asleep. Apparently they're only active during the night. The earth ones don't have any wings either, or even horns. Although Bear does say that they spit out the most dangerous acid -which is really cool. They also have retractable spikes that are supposed to cover their whole body.

        Bear practically radiates smugness as he tells us -or, technically SazukiYenzo- all about the the different dragons, their abilities, their behaviours, how they catch, breed, raise, and train them into vicious beasts in order to protect the castle and be of service for Father. Of the historic tales of when Father used them to win wars, of how easily the dragons crushed the enemies.

        There are even ice and lightning types, but unfortunately the land and climate we're on can't properly host them. They're on a different reserve/holding place in another country.

        I listen in rapid attention as SazukiYenzo explains all this to me.

        Lastly, Bear shows us the fire types. These ones resemble the classic dragons the most. Four legs, scaly, huge with long necks (though not nearly as long as Lozuki's) and two horns on the forehead, bat-like hooked wings and ears. The biggest one -the mom, I assume- is laying around three brownish-yellowish eggs. She snarls softly when she spots me staring and I quickly revert my eyes to the boys. There are two of them in a different den than the mom.

        I blink, shocked.

        "Hey! Look!" I tug on his sleeve and point excitedly. "That one is on fire!"

        It's true. The one laying down on the giant black rock is  _covered_ in red flames. He seems relaxing though.

        SazukiYenzo's brows raise to his hairline. "So it is." He turns to Bear and asks something.

        "What?" I question.

        "He says that this is quite normal for fire mabic, for when the temperature gets chilly."

        We spend more time with the boys, but when I ask if I can ride one Bear hesitates. He says something to SazukiYenzo.

        "These mabic are much too dangerous for your current skill at riding," SazukiYenzo explains for Bear.

 _"Please?"_ I beg.

        "Perhaps when you are older," he lies.

        I pout, turning to the mom. "How long until the eggs hatch?"

        "He says that they should hatch in the next several human weeks. Mabics take time to develop."

        I'm silent for moment as I gaze at the eggs, which are mostly blocked by the mom's thick brown tail. "Can I have one, please?"

        "Sir..."

        "I'll take good care of it! Promise!"

        "Sir, these are not  _pets!"_

 _"PPPllllleeeeeaaaaasssssseeee,"_ I drag out, clutching his right arm with wide eyes.

        SazukiYenzo sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. "If you truly want one, and will truly do your best to care for it, then you shall have to ask your Father."

_'Crap.'_


	4. The Evil Pie

        SazukiYenzo wakes me up like he has done the past days, this time saying that my lessons will start today after an hour of training with Father.

        "Do I have to?"

        "I'm afraid so, sir. You have a free hour after lunch, but then we'll be moving onto Languages until dinner. After dinner you have another training session with Lord Satan until bed."

        SazukiYenzo tells me to take a shower before changing. Today I'm still dressed in black dress shorts, but this time my shirt is a deep green and I mange to get off without a tie.

        Once in the dinning room, I'm surprised to see Azzy -or I guess I should be calling him  _Azzy-nii_  now, seeing as he really  _is_ my older borther- sitting at the table with that same purple-tied butler at the wall from before.  _'I have to ask SazukiYenzo what the different colours mean.'_

        Azzy-nii looks up when he notices me. "Good morning, Rin. How...How are you feeling?" he asks carefully.

        I shrug and sit down across from him. I can't say better...But...

        There's an awkward pause between us. Which is only broken when a toad-like demon comes to take my breakfast order. SazukiYenzo orders for me.

        "I...I start my lessons today," I inform Azzy-nii.

        "Oh?"

        I nod. "Yeah. What are going to do? Do you still have school?"

        "No, I finished school a long time ago. I'm travelling back to my Kingdom today, most likely signing and writing papers all day," he answers.

 _'Oh. So he's leaving?'_ I don't really know how to feel about that. "That sounds boring," I comment.

        Azzy-nii chuckles, "It is."

        "You look better when you do that," I note.

        "Do what?" Azzy-nii questions.

        "Laugh," I clarify. "Your face is usually hard and looks like you have a poop that you can't poop."

        Azzy-nii sputters, but right then the toad demon comes back with my food and drink. It's clear and soup-y like, with tiny green somethings swimming in it.

        I don't hesitate to dig in, so hungry after eating hardly at all in the past few of days. It tastes so good too! Soon, it's all gone and my glass is empty.

        "Young Master, let us go to Lord Satan," SazukiYenzo says.

        I bite my lip nervously, still not sure  _what_ exactly to feel about the man. I  _hate_  that he made me fight the criminal...But...

        I slid off my seat, shooting Azzy-nii a quick goodbye, and slowly trail after Yenzo. He actually has to stop a couple of times, lest he leaves me completely behind. Eventually, however, we make it. Yenzo knocks for me before stepping off to the side. Father opens the door and looks at me.

        I swallow, unable to stop thinking about how the last time I saw him I was crying in his arms. Heat creeps up my neck.

        "Good morning, Rin," he greets smoothly.

        "Morning," I downcast my eyes to my polished shoes and mumble.

        "Do not mumble, and look at me when you're speaking," he lightly scolds. "Now, what was that again?"

        I bite my cheek as annoyance is sparked, eyes flying up to meet his.

        "Rin?" Father repeats testily, arching a brow.

        "Morning," I echo louder.  _'Jerk.'_

        "Better," he praises. "Let us get your training done so that you can begin your other studies."

        The walk to the training room is a lot faster than the walk to Father's study. He sits down exactly where he did last time, and I do the same. A single candle is placed between us.

        "Have you worked on your control at all these past days?" Father asks.

        My stomach flips as I shake my head no, not trusting my voice.

        He sighs, but doesn't sound or look angry..."Well, do it now," he commands.

_-Pain in my head, skin burning against the ground, chest snapping, something wet touching my face-_

        I shake my head furiously, trying to banish the flashes from my mind. The whole candle suddenly gets set on blue fire.

        Father tsks and waits until the candle and fire is completely gone until replacing it with another. "Again."

        The same thing happens.

        On the third he covers my view of the candle aside from the tip of it, where a normal person would light it. The tip catches, but then in a blink the fire swallows the rest of the candle.

        This goes on for an hour, Father becoming more and impatient and frustrated as each failed attempt passes. He tries to explain the feeling, of how I only need to grab ahold of a tiny bit. He describes it as deep well, and only 'filling' a small cup. I try to picture a deep well and reaching in with only a small plastic cup, I really do, but it never works!

        Father is glaring at the wall by the time our hour is up, and when SazukiYenzo knocks on the door Father only reminds me curtly that we are to continue after dinner.

        I scurry out of the training room, leaving Father to brood and fume alone, and close the door again. "Where are going?" I ask SazukiYenzo curiously.

        "To a library," he answers smoothly. The walk there is uneventful.

        The library is huge, though. ' _Yukio would love this.'_  There are lots of really tall book shelfs and demons of all kind are reading, talking in hush whispers or something else.

        I try to avoid eye contact with them, still uncomfortable with all the attention that I'm always given here.

        "Ignore the gossips," SazukiYenzo says and leads me to a privete room. The room has cream walls, dark wooden floors, a chalk board, a big fancy wooden desk that matches the floor and a red cushioned chair. My shoulders fall with dread; I never like sitting at a desk, no matter how "rich" it looks. "Please take a seat, sir."

        I do. I feel kinda small though; my feet don't reach the floor and the chair and desk would have fitted an adult better.

        "Gehenna is split into ten territories," he begins and draws a big shape and cuts out into eight pieces with the ninth in the middle. "We are in High Lord Satan's territory," he fills in the middle circle, "And your brothers and sister; King Lucifer, King Samael, King Azazel, Queen Iblis, King Egyn, King Beelzebub, King Amaimon, and King Astaroth each control a territory. The ninth, closest to King Beelzebub and King Astaroth is the Waste Lands, which has no ruler. The Wastes Lands only hosts dangerous animals living there. It's also the only place that natural portals to Assiah appear time to time, but we'll cover that later. Within these lands the royalties have their kin. I myself come from King Lucifer, but we will go deeper into that at later date also. For now, you must learn the basic hierarchy," he draws a big triangle and splits it in layers. "High Lord Satan is, of course, at the very top. Then we have King Lucifer, King Samael, King Azazel..." he says each name while writing their names in one of the layers of the triangle.

        I try to pay attention, but I can't help but kicking my feet and look away at times, feeling restless.

        "-Are you listening, Young Master?"

        "Huh?" I snap to attention.

        SazukiYenzo sighs. I slump in my seat, knowing what he's going to say.

        "I know, I know, I'm a bad student and stupid for not getting this..." I mumble. I've heard it from teachers before.

        "No," he surprises me by shaking his head, "You are not stupid. Perhaps you require something to do while you listen?" he offers. I perk up at this, my other teachers would always scold me for playing with my pencils or something else because "I'm not paying attention and distracting others." "Excuse me, I'll be a moment," he says before walking out of the door.

 _'I'm not stupid,'_  I can't stop grinning,  _'He doesn't think I'm stupid.'_

        A few seconds later he comes back, but to my confusion, empty handed. "Alright, how about you draw the hierarchy?" He gives me paper and a pencil. I look between the board and my paper as I draw the here-a-key or whatever it's called. "Do you remember what they are the ruler of?" SazukiYenzo asks once I'm done.

        "Uh...I think Azzy is the King of Ghosts? And Astaroth is the King of Rot?" I try to remember what they mentioned.

        "Close; King Azazel is the King of  _S_ _pirits_ ," He corrects. "King Lucifer," he points to the name on my paper, "Is the King of Light. King Samael-"

        He's cut off though, when someone knocks on the door. "One second please," he excuses himself and opens the door. I can't see who it is though, or understand what is being said of course. SazukiYenzo closes the door again and presents me a black rubber-stretchy thing that has holes at the end and an orange squishy ball. "Please stand up." I do. I watch has he lifts my chair up on its two back legs and slips the rubber thing on its two front legs. He places the chair back down and I climb back on.

        When I push the rubber with my feet, it bends. And when I released it, it would bounce back up without making a sound. I grin. The orange thing isn't a ball, but play-doe. My grin widens.

        "Is that better?" he asks, smiling himself.

        I nod happily, "Thanks!"

        "You're very welcome, Young Master," he replies before continuing the lecture. "I should warn you, though, that you have these under the condition that you try your best to pay attention and work hard. Now, where was I? Ah yes, King Samael is the King of Space and Time..."

* * *

        For once, class had actually been fun! The rubber thing and play-doe helps me concentrate a lot, so if you ask me about the hierarchy (not limited to only the royals), the elements and what cancels out what, auras (you can tell how powerful a demon is by the aura they portray, and some can hide their aura so others can't sense them), and the basic knowledge of Gehenna, I'm be able to answer you no problem! Unlike my old teachers, Yenzo actually makes class fun. Oh, that's another thing I learned; demons always say their clan (which belongs to one of my new brother's kin) and then their given name second. So his clan name is Sazuki, and his first name is Yenzo. When I asked about his last name, he said that clan names are kinda the same thing.

        "What about me? What's my clan name?" I had asked him.

        "You, Young Master, do not have a clan name. You simply have to say your name, and any demon worth half their claws will know," Yenzo had replied. "Or show them your flames for the ones touched in the head."

        I still don't like math, though. I'm also learning the language that's spoken by the majority here in Gehenna, which is called Elopi, and Yenzo says that once I'm fluent in that we'll move onto a couple of the minorities. So far Elopi isn't  _too_ bad.

        Me and Yenzo are currently making our way to the dinning room for dinner. Once arrived I'm about to sit in a chair on the side, but Yenzo urges me to sit at the front of the table. When our waiter appears Yenzo orders for me.

        "Aren't you going to sit down, too?" I question when all Yenzo does is stand by the wall.  _'_ _Isn't he hungry? Now that I think about it, he didn't eat breakfast either...'_

        "No," he declines, "It would be improper of me to eat with you. Do not worry, I will eat later."

        "Why?"  _'Is he not hungry? Sick?'_

        "Because you are my prince."

        Annoyance flares within me. I shouldn't be the only one able to eat. "Well then, as royalty; I order you to sit down and eat!" ' _There, problem solved!'_

        Yenzo hesitates.

        "Please?" I stare up at him with wide eyes, "I won't tell anyone."

        He sighs. I grin in victory. He sits down in the seat that's on the right of me.

        "You are not of what I first imagined, sir," he comments.

        "What did you think I would be like?"

        "I have not worked for any of your brothers, but you are...simply different than I thought."

        "Good different, or bad different?" I ask curiously.

        "Different in a good way," Yenzo reassures.

        The waiter reappears with my food and drink. I thank them, receiving a quizzical look. I rack my brain for what Yenzo taught me for the Elopi word for "thank you." "Eh, naggi?" I try. I glance at Yenzo for help, and he smiles and nods. I bite my lip, looking back to the silent waiter. "Vaco," I say and point to my food and drink.  _'That's the word for "more," right?'_ I guess it is, because the waiter nods in understanding and leaves.

        The sandwich that Yenzo ordered for me looks to have normal bread, but the meat is green. There's also some pink sauce in it. The juice is purple.  _'I wonder if it'll taste like grape?'_

        I shrug and take a big bite of the sandwich. "Mmm!" My eyes light up when the taste hits my tongue.

        "Do you like it?" Yenzo assumes, amused.

        "Muhm," I nod.

        It doesn't take long for the second whatever-it's called sandwich to come. They really do make the food quick. The waiter glances bewildered at Yenzo who's still sitting at the table, so I ask Yenzo to tell her that I ask her not to tell anyone about it.

        After we're both finished our dinner (I can't help but notice how Yenzo looks so nervous and uncomfortable while eating) Yenzo leads me back to Father's study. He's signing papers when I barge in -giving me a quick  _look_ , and instructs me to knock next time- and gestures to one the seats and to wait. He signs two more papers before he puts them away.

        "Follow me, Rin," he orders.

        But instead of going to the training room again, Father takes me around a different corner. I'm really confused when we end up in a kitchen.

        "You've mentioned that you enjoy cooking, correct?" Father aches a brow.

* * *

        Somehow, I end up baking an apple pie with an extremely nervous and fidgety demon, and with the ruler of Hell watching over us like a hawk. I'm pretty sure that's to blame for the other demon's discomfort. I don't blame him at all. I feel the same, in fact.

        Or, at least I  _think_ it's a guy. He's only a few inches taller than me, has blue fur and with two extra eyes on his forehead, and with huge hands and feet. And I do mean  _huge._ It's really weird.

        Anyways, back to the pie; this isn't the first attempt. Eight others are black, scorched, and in the trash. We...Also had to move to a new oven. I didn't even  _want_ to light the fire at first, but when Father suggested I try the arena...Well, I did it. But I was too nervous that the first five  _completely_ went up in flames.

        ...I still can't completely activate it at will while Father is watching...

        Despite everything, it was kinda funny how confused and shocked all the workers in the kitchen was, back before Father commanded everyone but the head chef to 'scat.'

        Said demon -Hasc is his name- suddenly yelps and squeaks, rattling something off at high-pace. I blink in surprise, brought out of my thoughts only to realize that I let the pie get burned again.

        "Oh no!"

        Hasc is quick to open the strange oven - _'everything is so strange, some things are similar like back at home, but at the same time oh so different'-_ and take out the failed pie.

        "Perhaps this was a mistake," Father muses.

        "No!" I blurt, eyes wide in mild panic. "I'll-I'll get it next time! I promise! I was just distracted!"  _'Please don't send me back the arena! Please!'_

        "One more chance," he allows after a moment of consideration. Then turns back to the paper work he retrieved a couple failed attempts ago. "However, I do not like this fear that you are displaying. Tomorrow we will move on to the physical aspect of your training as well."

        I flinch, but get back to work without a word. Hasc is preparing the filling while I take out the flour again. Twenty five minutes later the tenth pie is getting put in the round oven. I lean towards it, trying to constrate on the fire within it. It's really hard, because it feels like there's  _so much_ of my flames, and most of the time, whenever I try to separate just a little bit it seems like I punch a hole in the dam instead.

        I force my eyes open as I concentrate, 'cause Father keep snapping at me not to close my eyes, and picture just little drops of fire breaking free.

        Beneath the pie briefly explodes in blue fire, before quickly calming down and centring right under the pie at moderate temperature. This control training is really draining, somehow my gut or 'core' feels sore, and my head is starting to hurt. I don't dare stop, though. I keep my sole focus on the pie and not burning the oven from the inside. Again.

        A deity has to be watching over me, however, for when the timer finally goes off the apple pie is golden, crispy, tender, and oh so delicious! I'm so happy when Hasc takes out my  _perfect_ pie that I could cry right here and right now. Grinning so wide my face already hurts, I turn to Father for approval.

        Father is smirking, eyes gleaming in pride as he ruffles my hair. "Well done, son. I suppose using your fire to cook was a good idea, after all."

        I think I may be soaring. "Can we eat it?" I ask eagerly.

        "I don't see why not," he muses.

        "Yes!" I can't contain the cheer.

        Hasc brings out plates and forks for us wordlessly, and the three of move to the stools. I practically inhale my piece, loving the wonderful taste of the apple, cinnamon, and my victory. I frown, though, when I'm finished and notice that Hasc didn't serve himself anything. I cut another pie, put it on my plate, and then push it towards Hasc.

        "Here," I tell him, "It's really good. Eat it."

        Hasc nervously glances at Father, who is pointedly ignoring us.

        I frown harder. "Come on, try it," I insist and push it closer.  _'What's with the servants not eating in front of me? Or us?'_

        When Father continues to say nothing, Hasc carefully takes a bite. His eyes light up and he's no longer hesitant. I smugly sit back on my chair as I watch him eat.

        "We're not done yet, Rin," Father tells me.

        I blink."We're not?"

        Father gives me a scolding look. "Of course we're not. Simply because you successfully baked one pie does not mean you have mastered your flames. We shall make another dish, and then we will continue tomorrow. Your physical conditioning will be first thing in the morning, before breakfast."

        I shrink in my seat, gut twisting some. "But not the arena, right?" I dare to question.  _'Say no, say no, say no-'_

        "Not anytime soon, but eventually." He gets up and starts flipping through a cookbook. Or, at least that's what I assume thats what is from the cover. In any case, I relax just slightly at the reassurance that the arena isn't going to happen anytime soon. "However, if you manage to master your flames to the extent that you can choose what will burn and won't, and defeat an opponent in the arena without them within a human year I might be persuaded into allowing you your own fire mabic," Father adds slyly.

        I gasp, eyes widening. "How did you know?" I demand, "Did Yenzo tell you?"

        "I have my ways."


	5. Dear Little Brother

        "Ow!" I yelp as a ruler makes contact with my lower back. I glare at Yenzo, but he isn't fazed.

        "Young Master-"

        "-Stop hitting me!" I interrupt him.

        "Then stop slouching," he retorts. It's been seven months -or weeks, in demon time apparently- since I first came to Gehenna. Currently, I'm supposed to be working on a math sheet that's in front of me. While balancing two books on my head. Yenzo has noticed how I'm always "slouching" so now I have to balance books on my head, keep my spine straight and shoulders back wherever I go. It's not my fault that I always bend over when I'm trying to think!

        "Jerk," I mumble under my breath, but I know Yenzo heard me.

        "One more question, then we will move on to science," he tells me.

        I groan, ' _Li_ _ke that's any better!'_ Yenzo may be an awesome teacher, but that doesn't change the fact that I still have to do work. I try to scratch my head, momentarily forgetting about the books. They tip, almost fall, but I luckily catch them and remove my hand.

        I look at my last remaining math question, thinking. Once I write the answer down I hand the paper back to Yenzo. Yenzo studies at it, and his mouth slowly frowns more and more. I would have slumped in my chair in disappointment, but I don't want to be hit with a ruler again.

        "You only got seven out of twenty right," Yenzo says.

        "It's not my fault that I suck at math," I grumble, looking away. I don't like it when Yenzo looks at me like that. He only sighs, takes a chair and sits down across from me.

        "Let's redo these problems, then."

        "What?" My eyes fly to Yenzo, "You said we were going to do science after I was done!"

        "That was before I saw your score," he replies. "Now, we are going to work on these questions until they are all correct."

 _'I take back what I said; Yenzo_ is _a mean teacher! Just in a different way than my old ones.'_

        I stare at my math sheet in dismay. Yukio wouldn't have trouble with these, cause he's the smart one. _'I miss him...'_

* * *

        "Dad! Dad!" Yukio calls as he runs towards Fujimoto. Said man turns around and smiles faintly when he heard his name.

        "What is it?" he asks.

        "I finished the book," Yukio declares proudly, showing him the book. It's a two hundred paged book on demons and how to exorcist them, the beginner's that Yukio had insisted on reading a few weeks ago.

        "Great job, kiddo," Fujimoto praises and ruffles Yukio's hair.

        Yukio tries to fix his hair as he questions; "Can I become an exorcist now?"

        Fujimoto grimaces. "I've told you, only when you turn sixteen."

        "But that's so long!" Yukio complains. Yukio's never been one to whine, that's usually Rin that does that, but Rin..."Nii-san is in danger!" He's always saved Yukio from the bullies at school, so why can't  _he_  save  _him_ for once? Rin had always been there when Yukio needed him, but now, when  _he_ needs  _Yukio,_ Yukio can't return the favour!

        "I know, I know," Fujimoto responds sadly, the dark lines under his eyes seemingly to get darker, "And I'm doing everything I can to get him back." And he was. Fujimoto is doing everything in his power to find Rin. Other people are starting to give up, but not him. He's is out every single night, looking.

        Yukio tries to encourage people not to give up, but they just look at him in pity. They don't think Rin is alive, but Yukio know that's not true! Rin is strong, brave and most of all stubborn! He wouldn't let the demons kill him, and Yukio refuses to let the other adults tell him otherwise.

        "I hate demons," Yukio spit venomously. They've always scared him, but now all he feels is hot rage towards them. They took his brother away from him! _'I'm going to become the greatest exorcist and kill every last one of them, including Satan!'_

* * *

        I'm currently eating sukiyaki with Yenzo, (a surprise from the cooks -I've gotten quite close to Hasc in particular, bonding over recipes and cooking. It helps that I can actually understand what he's saying more now. Although I'm still far from being fluent...) but my mind keeps wondering off to Yukio and the other priests. Dad, too, but that always hurts me the most so I try my best not to think about it. Although Lozuki and the other dragons -I'm still not allowed to ride or even get within twenty five feet of any other, however- helps me momentarily forget about my first family back in Assiah. I'm at the training grounds/holding dens a lot.

        "Sir, is everything alright?" Yenzo questions.

        "I'm fine," I try to reassure him, "It's just that I miss my brother."

        Yenzo raises a brow, "King Azazel said he would visit later tonight." Azzy tries to visit me lots, but sometimes he can't cause of his work. Being a ruler of his own country is a lot of work.

        "I don't mean  _him._ I'm talking about my  _twin_ brother; Yukio," I explain, almost as a whine. My heart aches just thinking about him.

        Yenzo doesn't say anything -he usually doesn't when I start to talk about him. But he did once say that maybe when I've mastered my flames Father will allow me to visit my brother. But my gut is telling me that that isn't going to happen anytime soon. I...Haven't actually asked Father outright if I can visit Yukio and the others. I know he'll say no because of Dad, but I don't want to actually  _hear_ the refusal. My days are always full, so it's not hard to put them in the back of my head most of the time, but -but at night...I don't have any work, games, or dragons to distract me. I'm always hurting -chest compressed painfully and my throat logged- when I lay in bed, and my pillow is sometimes wet when I wake up. I know Yenzo knows, and while I know he can't do anything but listen to my complaints, just listening helps somewhat.

        I take the last bite of my meal and get up. "I'm going to go to my room now," I tell Yenzo. After dinner and every other night I have my free time, which I usually spend with the dragons, but sometimes I explore the castle, help the cooks cook under doing the reason of doing extra control training for my flames, play some kind of game with Azzy or Yenzo, or pick a random servant and spy on them. How do I spy on them? I hide my aura, which, I also found out shrinks my ears and fangs, so they can't sense my presence. Sometimes I get caught for being too loud, though. But I think the servants actually enjoy this game too, as some will laugh when they see me. I've also managed to overhear some talking about me, saying that they think it's cute and funny when I do it. Or they could have been talking about how cute their new goat is while dancing. Learning a new language is  _hard._ Anyways, oddly enough, I don't feel like doing any of those things.

        "Alright," Yenzo nods in acceptance, "Simply call me if you need anything."

        "Ok." I walk out of the dinning room and into the hallway. The pictures don't scare me anymore, but they do still send goosebumps up my arms. I'm heading to my room like I told Yenzo, but then something catches my ears.

        "Did you hear that King Amaimon is here?" a maid and another butler are whispering to each other, just around the corner I think. Quickly, I hide my aura and tip-toe towards them. Hiding your aura is kinda like wrapping an invisible blanket around you. So long as the other person doesn't hear or actually  _looks_ at you with their eyes. But most demons don't usually hide their auras -you can measure how strong a person is based on their auras- so most demons are really dependent on their aura-sensing skills.

        "Of course I have, why do you think he's here?" the butler replies with a question.

        "My guess is to ask High Lord Satan to go to Assiah," the maid muses. The butler said something else but I can't completely understand what. Something about family issues? Or a really bad foot injury because of family?

_'Maybe I could go with him! Am-i-on or -whatever his name is my older brother, right? King of Earth?'_

        I'm already making my way to Father's study. I'm not one hundred percent sure if Amaimon would actually be there, but it's my best guess. I've been to the study lots, but I'm so lost in my thoughts about finally seeing Yukio again and what this older brother will be like that I think I missed a turn, or something. I know from experience that the castle has lots of twists and turns, and to make it worse I don't think I've ever been in this section of the castle. I groan in frustration and tip my head back, forgetting about the books on my head again and causing them to fall. I look around, startled, hoping nobody heard that. Worse, that Yenzo didn't  _see_  it. No body is around though, so I assume not. Instead of picking the books up I leave them on the floor and walked away, just a bit spitefully. I've never really liked books anyways, and those ones in particular hasn't changed that! It's much easier to walk and sneak around when you don't have to worry about balancing books on your head, anyways.

_'Why does this place have to be so big?! I'll never find my way, argh!'_

        I turn a few more corners and walk by a lot of closed rooms before I finally stop after I swear I pass the same picture I did ten minutes ago. _'I'm lost!'_ I groan in frustration again while pulling at my hair; "GAAAH! This is like a maze, and I hate mazes!"

        Someone giggles from behind me; "You're funny. Are you lost?"

        Surprised, I turn around and see a demoness. The most pronounced thing about her are the bright red, yellow, dark purple and navy blue coloured feathered wings. She has her equally bright orange hair in high pigtails, is wearing a simple grey sleeveless dress that stops at her knees, and black flats. Her eyes are pointed up slightly like cats and are even eerily brighter than her hair -they practically  _glow_. She has pointed ears like me, but she also has feathers on her wrists, ankles and neck.

        "Y-You're my age," I comment in Elopi. It's the first time that I've seen another demon around my age.

        She giggles again. "I'm six years old. How about you?"

        "Cool! I'm six, too!" I answered with a grin. "What's your name?"

        "FuruitoriKazeko," she rocks on her heels, hiding her hands behind her back while doing so.

        "I'm Okumura Rin," I add my surname out of habit.

        "Hey, so why were you yelling?" Kazeko wonders, tilting her head to the right.

        It takes a moment for what she's said to click in mind. 'Yelling' and 'rubber' sound really similar in Elopi, so I'm confused for a second. "I'm kinda lost..." I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. But in my defense, the place is  _huge!_

        "That's what I thought," she laughs.

        "Can you help me?" I ask hopefully, ignoring the heat creeping up my neck.

        "No," she shake her head and I deflate. "But my mom can; she works here."

        I perk up again. "Is she a maid?"

        "Nope!" Kazeko shake her head again, grinning. "She's a really strong guard! Come on, I'll take you to her," she grabs my hand and starts to lead me down the hallway.

        "Thanks!" I tell her, grateful that I don't have to wander the empty halls anymore. "Hey, who's kin are you anyways?"

        "King Samael's," she answers. "But I don't live there. My aunt, uncle and cousins do though. What about you?"

        My eyebrows pull together in thought. ' _W_ _ho's kin am I? I_   _don't know...My own? Father's?'_

        "Do you not know?" she guesses as we turn left and she opens a door. I'm not really paying attention to whats around us because I'm more focused on the first peer I've seen here in Gehenna.

        "No..." I trail off, slightly embarrassed.

        She laughs again, "How can you not know who's kin you are? Stupid."

        "Hey!" I glare at her. "Stop making fun of me! And I'm not stupid, you are!"

        "I'm not the one who doesn't know who's kin they are," she teases, sticking her tongue out. "Or the one that got lost."

        I open my mouth to retort, but I'm cut off.

        "Kazeko, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

        Both Kazeko and I turn our heads to look at demoness that's walking towards us. I can't actually see  _her_ though, because she's wearing armour and a helmet, but I assume this is Kazeko's mom based on the giant and colourful wings.

        "Mom!" Kazeko responds, smiling and waving with her other hand. "Look," she points to me, "I made a friend!"

 _'F-Friend?'_ I stare blankly at Kazeko before grinning. ' _I have a friend!'_ To be honest, I've never had a friend my age besides Yukio, 'cause everyone in Assiah is scared and hates me...So my chest feels warm when Kazeko calls me her friend. I like it.

        Kazeko's mom's gaze moves to me, as if just realizing that I'm also here. Her eyes also trailed downwards, and that's when  _I_ realized that we're still holding hands. I quickly let go as heat pools in my cheeks.

        "Prince Rin," she bows and knowledges in Elopi. "I apologize for my daughter's actions. It won't happen again." Kazeko looks surprised when her mom says "prince."

        "Eh?"  _'Sorry for what?'_

        "But I didn't to anything," Kazeko pouts. Kazeko's mom gives her a scolding look, which makes Kazeko close her mouth and turn to her feet.

        "She's telling the truth," I cross my arms. "I was lost so she led me to you, saying you could help." ' _Why doesn't she believe her? Isn't she her mom?'_

        Kazeko's mom's eyes widen slightly and momentarily before she did another small bow. "My apologies. How can I help you?"

        "I'm trying to find my Father's office," I explain, uncrossing my arms.

        "Of course, would you like me to lead you there or are you in need for directions only?" she asks.

        "Just directions, please."

        Kazeko's mom nods, "Alright. You go that way," she points behind me, where I had come though, "Take two rights and then a left, and then it's your third door to the right."

        I nod, but the directions are already spinning in my head. ' _Two rights, a left and the third door on the right? Yeah, two rights, a left and the third door.'_

        Bye, Rin!" Kazeko waves goodbye as I began to walk away, muttering the directions.

        "Bye, Kazeko," I return her wave. "We'll see each other again, right?" I ask hesitantly.

        "Of course, silly," she giggles. I beam, glance at her one last time before disappearing into the endless hallways. I take two rights and a left like I was told, but then I pause.

 _'Did she say to take another right? Or was I suppose to take three rights? Maybe a right and then a left? GAA!'_ I bang my head on the wall. ' _I'm lost again...I should have just asked her to escort me...'_

        But just then, I hear the sound of footsteps. And they're getting louder. Panicking, I search for a hiding spot. ' _Aha!'_ I quickly got behind a tall statue. I held my breath as the footsteps gets closer. I double checked that I'm hiding my aura; I'm.  _'Wait..._ Why  _am I hiding again?'_ But it's too late to decide otherwise, now.

        A green skinned man with the same shade of spiky hair, two pale horns with swirly yellow designs on them, black fingernails, and who's wearing really expensive but tattered and hole-y clothes walks pass me. Another thing I notice is that he has a bored expression and is sucking a lollipop, although that's over shadowed by his long and abnormally thick tail for his body size.

 _'Yeah, good luck ever hiding_ that.' I wince, imagining the grief he must receive because of it.

        Deciding to follow him because I've seen him around here, I leave my hiding spot. I make sure to keep some distance between the other demon and I. He goes down some stairs, walks for a couple of minutes, down another set of stairs, and opens a door at the end of the hallway. He closes the door behind him, so I impatiently wait for a few moments before slowly peaking inside. The man is spilling some red liquid on the floor from a small tube.

_'Wait, is that blood!?'_

        The red stuff is moving, gathering and forming some dark glob stuff. The glob grows into a square and then what seems to be sides also forms. I think the weirdest thing is when it got eyes!

_'What is happening!?'_

        The man steps in it without fear, and immediately begins to sink! Part of me think that it's cool, but the other part is creeped out.

_'I have to ask Yenzo about this later.'_

        Once the man was completely gone, I curiously step into the room. Creeping closer to the thing on the floor, I touch it with my right hand. It feels cool, and bubbles are popping against my skin. I can't help but giggle, and try to wiggle my fingers. It's kinda hard though, the stuff is really thick and tough. I attempt to take my hand out, but I find that I can't. I stop laughing and frown. I grab my right wrist with my left hand, and pull. Nothing. My heart begins pumping harder as I pull a second time. The stuff is climbing up my arm. Now I'm starting to panic. Planting my feet firmly on the ground, I grit my teeth together and I continue to pull. I'm using my whole body, but the dark gooey stuff is now at my elbow.

        "Help, someone!" I cry desperately, watching with horror as my feet are starting to slip. ' _NO!'_ My body explodes with blue flames, but it don't help. If anything, it only -impossibly- makes it worse. It's if it's  _feeding_ off of my flames. The stuff is at my shoulder now, and my left foot is in it. The thing is pulling me  _in._ I struggle and yell, but soon my whole body is consumed in it.

_'Help...Someone...'_

* * *

        I wake up from the cold temperature and the sound of the night. I slowly open my eyes and blink the black spots away. With some difficulty, I sit up and take in my surroundings. I'm near the opening to an alley, and some loners or small groups of people are walking on the streets as cars also drive by. The third, but what should have been the first, thing I notice is that the sky is a dark blue. My eyes widen and I quickly stand up.

_'I-I'm in Assiah again!'_

        A grin stretches across my face and I excitedly run out of the alleyway. I take in a deep breath, amazed how much easier it is to breath here than it is in Gehenna. I deflate slightly though, when I realize that I don't know where I am. I shake my head to get rid of those negative thoughts. ' _I'll find my way!'_

        I begin to wander, and when I look to my right, I see a really huge, weird shaped lit building. Actually, it's more like a mountain of big buildings put together to make a even bigger building. It has bridges and I think I see some gates too! ' _I wonder what it is...'_

        The air is chilly without a jacket and goose bumps appear all over my arms. I try to warm myself by rubbing my arms, but it doesn't help much. Stores are closing up, and fewer and fewer people are out. I shiver while looking around, hoping that I'll see something that can tell me where exactly I am.

        A really long pink car drives up and stops in front of me. And if that isn't strange enough, the man that steps out definitely is. He's wearing mainly white and pink, a top hat, leggings, _puffy shorts_ , a scarf and cape. His hair is purple, his ears are pointed and I can see sharp teeth when he smiles.

        "Clown-nii," I blink in surprise.

        He looks offended. "How rude! I look fabulous," the Clown scolds. "But whatever are you doing in  _my_  territory, little brother?"

        Something feels off with him, but I can't put my finger on it. I shrug it off on what a weirdo he seems to be like. "What? How is  _this_  your territory? It's a sidewalk," I deadpan.

        One of his eyebrows twitch in annoyance, but he keeps the fake smile. "Not  _just_ the sidewalk, baby demon," he explains, "But also that huge, brilliant school over there," he gestures to the mountain of buildings. "And anything that is fifteen miles from it."

        "Hey! I'm not a baby!" I glare up at him.

        The Clown smirks and pinches my cheeks. "You still have your baby fangs, so yes, you are. I mean, they're so adorably small!"

        I try to bite him, but he removes his hand before I can. "I'm not a baby, I'm six years old," I grumble under my breath, touching my cheek.

        He waves my words away. "In any case, this is an interesting turn of events. How _ever_  did you come back to Assiah? I doubt Father allowed you."

        I hesitate. "I followed a man to a room, and he made some creepy thing out of spilled blood, and I ended up in it," I answer truthfully. He nods and strokes his chin in thought, a gleam in his eyes that sets me on edge. It's too familiar to Father's, and not when he's simply proud of my achievements.

        "Rin, would you like to make a deal?" Clown-nii leans forward with a sly look.

        Suddenly, I'm reminded that this is the man Dad betted Yukio and I's life with. I frown, trying to ignore the stab of pain. "What do you want?"

        "I can allow you to see Yukio whenever you want, but you can't tell Father about it. Nor can you  _ever_ let dear Shiro, the other priests, or any other exorcist see you during your visits."

        My eyes widen in shock, heart skittering. "Really?" I exclaim. "You're serious?" Although my excitement is dimmed with the news with Dad and the other priests. My gut still fills with dread when I imagine seeing him again after so long, of how his face will twist in disgust when he sees the  _demon_ in me. Of how he shouts at me that I'm not his son anymore, because I'm not human...Would he try to exorcist me? Months ago I would immediately say no, of course he wouldn't, but now...? Now, I -I don't know. I don't think I  _want_ to. At least I can still pretend. So long as I never actually...

_-"Humans and demons alike lie, you know. If he loved you so much, then why is he still working for that blasted organization? Why does he still insist on being an exorcist, when he knows that it puts you and your brother in more danger? And not just any exorcist, but the Paladin at that."_

_"He does not want you if you are not human."-_

        I shake my head, pushing it down and  _down._ I need to focus on  _Yukio._

        Clown-nii looks very pleased and smug with himself. "Of  _course_  I can. I  _am_ the King of Space and Time, after all. Now come inside so that we can talk more." He urges me inside the pink car and I immediately climb in.

        "Listen closely," he narrows his eyes once we're both comfortably inside, the atmosphere around him suddenly changing. "Father will not be happy if you do not go back. And that's exactly what Shiro will do if they see you; stop you from going back. If you don't return to Gehenna Father will send all kinds of nasty demons to retrieve you, and they won't play nice with your adoptive father and the others. And  _I_ for one  _like_ Assiah, and appreciate it un-destroyed. I don't think I have to warn you about the exorcists, do I?"

        I shake my head no furiously.

        "Good. Now, I don't want you hanging about in Assiah for more than three hours a week-"

        "Why not?" I interrupt.

        "Because anything more will set Father on edge. You'll have to tell him that you're able to travel between the realms -keep my involvement out of it, by the way- because it'll be so much worse when he eventually finds out otherwise. However, we're going to play it off as a hidden power even  _you_ didn't know about until now. So long as he doesn't find out the truth he shouldn't be able to stop you, so he'll have to accept it."

        "But why only three hours, though?"

        "Just because Father has to eventually accept your 'power,' does not mean we need to unnecessarily push it. Do  _you_ want to give him more of a reason to look into this than he already has?" Clown-nii arches a brow testily.

        "No..."

        "I thought not. Now, do we have a deal?"

        I don't even have to think twice about it. "Yes!"

        Clown-nii grins wickedly. "Excellent. Now, turn around." He commands while twirling a finger down in a circle.

        "Why?" I question. "What are you going to do?"

        "I may be the King of Space and Time, but not even  _I_ can make the impossible possible simply by promising it," he rolls his eyes. He reaches into his breast pocket and shows me a small gold ring what has a line of red around it. "This is mixed with my power and Father's blood; it will allow you to transport between Gehenna and Assiah anytime you want. All you have to do is picture where you want to be and concentrate. However I only have one of these, so you  _must_ be very careful and  _do not_ , no matter what, let any body else know about it. Or else I can promise you that others will try to steal it, and we can't have that, can we?"

        I've only seen this magical ring for five seconds, and already the thought of someone stealing it sends a spark of panic through me. "No," I agree strongly. "Where do I put it?"  _'If I'm not suppose to let people see it...'_

        The Clown smirks. "On your tail."

        "On my tail?" I repeat, tilting my head to the side in confusion.

        "Yes, now  _turn around."_

        I do as told. I feel the Clown reach and pull out my tucked shirt, lifting it up. "Uncurl you tail. Thank you." I don't know  _how_  he got the ring on, since he doesn't slide it on from the fluffy end. But he does, and a small shiver runs up my spine as his cold hands touches the bare skin of my lower-lower back. "There, all done!"

        I reach behind me to feel it. The metal is just as cold as his hands were, but I don't care in the slightest. Grinning, I curl my tail back around my torso and fix my shirt. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squeeze Clown-nii. I just feel so  _happy._ More than I did when I first managed to bake a pie with my flames. It's as if a great weight has been lifted off me. I can now travel between the worlds, and most importantly see Yukio again-

        And then suddenly my world cashes down again, as I realize something.  _'What am I going to tell Yukio? How can I explain my ears, fangs? Where I've been? And Father? Did Dad tell Yukio the truth about Father? No, he probably didn't...'_

        "Yes, well, you're welcome." Clown-nii detaches me from his person and clears his throat. "Just remember to not let anyone else know about this, or let Shiro and the other humans see you.

        "Clown-nii..."

        His brow twitches. "What?"

        I voice all my concerns.

        "Ah," he muses and leans back into his seat once I'm finished. "Well, I know that Shiro has rightfully assumed you're in Gehenna. Dead, even. Your brother stubbornly still believes that you're alive, though I don't know for sure if Shiro has explained your heritage. I highly doubt it, however. You'll have to admit to being kidnapped to Gehenna by demons, but...Not by Father, certainly..."

        My spirits get lower and lower as Clown-nii continues.

        He takes an umbrella out of  _no where,_ points the tip at his open palm says proclaims, "Eins, zwei, drei!" There's pink smoke that makes me cough, but then a small wooden box appears in his hand.

        I gape.

        Clown-nii opens the box and takes out a plain golden (tiny) chained necklace. "Here," he clips the necklace around my neck. "That will hide any demonic features from humans. Seeing as Yukio has never shown any demonic qualities before it should also fool him."

        Tears prickling the corner of my eyes, I move to hug him again, but Clown-nii knocks my hands to the side.

        "Now, now, none of that!"

        Smiling, I drop my arms and examine the magical -life saver- of a necklace. "Thank you so much!" I didn't know what to think or feel about him before, but he really is a nice person, isn't he? I don't know how I can ever repay him!

        "You're welcome, little brother. Tell me, Rin; how do you feel about your life in Gehenna?"

        I think about my answer. The people there are really nice, and I've had lots of fun. Sure, I get scared sometimes, but Yenzo or Father are there for me, even if it's usually after. School is a pain, but it's a lot better than my old one. The training Father makes me do can be painful, exhausting and frustrating, but I don't feel afraid of losing control anymore. I know Father is really strong, and can beat me anytime, so that means I can't hurt him. I know he would force me to snap out of it if I blacked out, because "no son of his will lose control like some animal."

        Before I went in Gehenna though, everyone besides Yukio, Dad and the other priests would sneer at me. No body liked me at school, not even the teachers. The kids would always either make fun of me or run away. It always made my chest hurt. Sure, I've had lots of fun with Yukio, but even he would want to hang out with other kids sometimes. I don't blame him though, not one bit. I'm happy for him, I really am, it's just...I wish that I could also have friends. And now I  _do_ have a friend -friend _s_ actually; Azzy, Yenzo and Kazeko! I love Yukio, but I feel like I'm second best compared to Yukio a lot of times. Yukio's smart, friendly and doesn't get into fights like I do.

        I hated Gehenna at first...But...Nobody thinks I'm dumb there, and fights and spars are  _normal_ and  _expected_  in Gehenna. I'm still scared of the arena, I still don't want to fight in it, but with the training Father has been giving me...I'm more confidant. And the people there don't break easy like the humans do. I-I think I can actually try to fight someone, and not just the usual training partners that Father provides, so long as it's not in  _that_  arena. A different arena, maybe, but not  _that_ one.

        And not to forget about Lozuki or any of the other dragons. The fire type eggs are actually supposed to hatch any day now!

        "I-I...I really like it there," I confess. And as I say it, I truly realize it. I feel more welcomed in Gehenna than in Assiah, as much as I desperately miss Yukio and everyone. "Bu-But I still want to see Yukio!"

        "Yes, yes, of course." Clown-nii seems deep in thought.

        "Can I see Yukio now?" I demand eagerly.

        "Yes," he repeats, amused. And with that, the driver starts to drive. I think it takes twenty minutes, but it feels like a lifetime before we stop. I can't stop bouncing in my seat the entire time, ' _I'm going to see Yukio again!'_

        I can't drive you any closer without being spotted, so you'll have to walk," he tells me once we stop. "And remember, you are  _only_  allowed to see Yukio for  _three hours._ You are to go straight back to Gehenna afterwards. If our deal is broken in any way, I  _will_ know and I  _will_ take the ring back. Understand?

        I nod in understanding, thanking him sincerely one last time for all he's done. I recognize where we are. My chest tightens at the thought of what I'm about to do. I touch my new necklace again, making sure that's it still with me. It is. My stomach is doing flips, but I determinable push past the fears raising in me. ' _I can do this!_ '

        The really long pink car drives away and I start to run. I keep running until I'm behind the church. I'm going jump the back fence, but I'm suddenly knocked back. I end up falling on my butt and hands. I groan as I rub my forehead, which had taken a lot of the impact.

_'What was that...?'_

        I'm so confused. This had never happen to me. I get back up and try again. I get the same result though, but this time I land back on my feet. That actually hurts, whatever it is. It's like an invisible shield is keeping me out. I touch the fence with just my hand, and yelp when I get shocked.

        I hold my red throbbing hand with my other and I glare at the fence. ' _Why can't I get through!? I want to see Yukio!'_ Out of anger, I kick the fence, which isn't such a good idea...

        "Ow!" I cry out as I hold my foot and jump on the other. 'S _tupid fence!'_

        "Who's there?" a voice on the other side of the fence asks. I stop jumping and strain to look at the speaker.

        "Yukio, is that you?" I ask hopefully. ' _Please, please let it be him...'_

        "Nii-san?" Yukio gasps.

        "Yukio!" I cheer and almost touched the fence, but pull back at the last second.

        "Nii-san, you're back!" Yukio exclaims. I don't need to see him to know that he's smiling just as big as me right now. "Hold on, I'm going to go get the others!"

        "No, wait, Yukio!" I beg, "Don't tell the others!"

        A pause.

        "Why not?" now Yukio sounds suspicious.

        I swallow and rub the back of my neck. "Because...I can't stay long."

        "Why not?" his voice trembles, as if he's about to cry.

        "Because demons will come if I stay too long," I attempt to explain. "But I really wanted to see you again, so can you climb over?"

        "B-But Dad can protect you! He's really strong, he'll get rid of the demons!" Yukio protests. "He's an exorcist, you know! A real one!"

 _'I know,'_ I swallow the bitter thing.  _'I know.'_ And it hurts. It  _really_ hurts to hear Yukio say that, as if it's a good thing. A  _great_ thing, even. I want to sob again, but I try my best not to. I'm not entirely successful. I wish I could yank out my heart just so I wouldn't  _feel_ the painful truth anymore. "I-I know," I choke out. "But-But he -I-...He...Isn't, he isn't strong enough for these demons. Just come over.  _Please."_

        There's another pause, but then I hear rustling. I force a smile though my tears when I see Yukio's head pop up from the top of the fence.

        "N-Nii-san..." he trails off as he glances at the ground. "How do I get down?"

        "Just jump," I urge and open my arms. "I'll catch you, promise!"

        His eyes flicker to me and the ground nervously, but he jumps anyways. I catch him just like I promised, but I lose my balance and Yukio ends up on top of me.

        "Owie..." I complain, sprawled out on the ground.

        "S-Sorry! Are you alright?" he asks as he quickly scrambles off of me.

        Despite everything, I can't contain a grin as I get back up. "I'm fine!" I hug Yukio tightly as I whisper; "I missed you so much."

        Yukio hugs me back and buries his face in my neck. "Me too, Nii-san. I was so worried... Dad and the other priests too. Dad never stopped looking for you, he's even looking for you right now."

        That makes my chest feel even heavier. I stop hugging Yukio, but holds onto his shoulders and look at him dead in the eyes. "Listen, you can't tell anybody that you saw me."

        "What? Why!?" Yukio demands, but it comes out more as a plea. "Everyone is so worried about you and-"

        "-I know Yukio, and I'm really really sorry, but I can only see  _you_ ," I cut him off, voice wobbly. "If anyone else sees me I can never see  _you_ again. So I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone, ok?"

        I  _hate_  seeing Yukio's broken hearted expression, and I hated even more because  _I'm_  the cause of it. His bottom lip is trembling and tears are already streaming down.

        "Hey, hey," I try to soothe, even though I wanted to be the one getting soothed right now. "It's gonna be alright. I'll visit as much as I can, okay? As long as you don't tell anyone I'll still be able to come, okay?"

        "Nii-san, are the demons making you do this?"

        "Wh-What?" I'm taken back, blinking through my tears to properly look at Yukio's...Twisted expression. I'm pretty sure my heart stops and drops like a stone right then.  _'Does he know?'_ I latch onto my necklace, but it's still there. Cold, against my bare skin. An even more alarming thought comes to me;  _'Is it not working?'_ I run my tongue against my teeth, but that does nothing since  _I'm_ not the one it's supposed to fool.

        "Are the demons making you do this?" Yukio repeats, still with that hateful and twisted expression on his face. He's still crying salty tears but, but these seem  _angrier._ "I know that they took you -that they took you their wold, Gehenna."

        "What else do you know?" I dare to ask, almost as a whisper.

        "N-Nothing," he sniffs. "Why did-did they take you, Nii-san? Why? What did you ever do? Wha-What did  _we_ ever do to them?"

        I bite my lip and wipe my face, wondering what the heck I should say. I don't want to lie to Yukio, I  _hate_ it, but...

 _-"If our deal is broken in any way, I_ will  _know and I_ will  _take the ring back. Understand?"-_

        But I promised Clown-nii, and he's already done  _so much_ for me. "He-He-"

        "He?" Yukio picks up on immediately.

        "The demon who took me. He -he wanted, um, a son. I, ah, fit what he wanted," I finally settle on. It isn't  _exactly_ a lie.

        If possible, Yukio becomes even more angry. "That's not fair! If he -if he wanted a son so bad then he should have gotten married!" he rants. "Please, Nii-san, come home! Dad and I'll protect you! The other priests too! They're exorcists, too!"

 _'Oh. That...Never even crossed my mind.'_ It isn't a nice reveal. "I can't, I really can't, Yukio. I'm only allowed to see you. Nobody else. So you have to  _promise_ me that you won't tell anyone else, no matter what, or else lots of strong demons will come after you and Dad."

        "We can handle them!" Yukio declares stubbornly.

        I shake my head, feeling helpless. "No, no you can't."

        Yukio looks exactly how I feel. But then he visibly gathers his courage, and proclaims, "Then I just get stronger! I'll become  _so strong_ that no demon will be able to stand in my way, and I'll kill every single one of them so that you don't need to stay away anymore! I promise I will!"

        Yenzo's face crosses my mind, of Azzy, Hasc, Bear, and even Father and Kazeko. "Not all demons are bad, Yukio," I respond softly. "Lots of them are nice."

        "You don't need to lie to me, Nii-san," Yukio shakes his head. "I see them all the time, I know what they're like. So you don't have to lie to make me feel better." He grabs a hold of my shoulders. "But I promise you that one day I  _will_ save you from them!"

        That's when I knew. When I knew for certain -with Yukio so fierce and determined to personally stalk up to any demon and kill them no matter what, with that glint in his eyes- that he can never know the truth.

_-"He does not want you if you are not human."-_

        Was Father talking about Dad solely?

        Instead of screaming and hitting things like I really want to, I swallow the heavy lump in my throat. It tastes bitter. I  _feel_ bitter. "Promise me that you won't tell," I croak.

        "Only -only if you promise to visit as much as you can," Yukio responds wobbly.

        "I promise."

        "Ok...I promise too, then." Yukio hugs me tightly.

        I think I may just pass out from the sheer relief. "I have to go," I lie quietly.

        Yukio hugs me tighter. By the time we separate again my joins are stiff and feet sore from standing still in one place for too long. "I'll see you soon, Nii-san? Right?"

        "Right." I force myself to agree. I close my eyes and imagine Gehenna. Something in my stomach pulls, like someone had just pulled a rug out from under me. In the next second I'm back in Gehenna, sitting on my bed.


	6. Hatching Plans

        I watch in fascination as the baby fire dragons play. I haven't been able to visit the fire types for three human weeks because apparently dragon moms go in 'over protective' mode for while even after their eggs have hatched. Apparently she almost bit the head off a new worker -I think of all Gehenna heard Bear's 'scolding' (it was more like screaming his head off) at both the new worker and the one that assigned the worker to the mom in the first place. That was the first time I saw Bear mad - _furious,_ really- and I pray for the poor fool who angers him next.

        I also don't think the full grown male dragons in the dens across has ever been so quiet, so docile, and for so long during those weeks. Someone had to actually block the mom's sight and scent of the two, or else she would never calm down.

        Anyways, the mom and babies' isolation time has finished for a few days, so today I'm finally able to see the new dragons. And they're  _so cool!_ There's two boys, one has bright yellow scales with purple markings on his forehead and back, and the other with the same shade of yellow but the markings are grey. The girl is an exact copy of her mom; brown shiny scales but no markings. They're all about the same size right now -aside from the boy with grey markings, he's definitely the smallest- but Bear says that they and especially the girl will hit a big growth spout in the next couple demon months. (That's two years, human time.) Currently, the mom has just come back from hunting, with a dead thing in her great jaws. She drops it on the ground by her kids, who immediately swarm it. The entrance to her den is swiftly closed again.

        "Why don't you guys just them the food?" I ask Bear, who is watching beside me.

        He seems a bit insulted by my question. "My Prince, why would we do that?"

        I shrug. "I dunno. it's just that in Assiah we have zoos and the zoo provides food for the..." I frown my brows.  _'What's the word for animals again? Je -no, that's not right...Gah! I can't_ _remember!'_ I wish Yenzo was here with me. Or someone else that spoke Japanese.

        "If we always provide their food for them, then the hatchlings would never learn to hunt and the older ones' instincts would dull. If that happens then they are of no use and would be better off extinct," Bear says firmly. "Rest assured, we have all the mabics properly trained to come right back after hunting."

        "Oh." I watch as the smallest one is knocked out of the way by the girl, who is attacking the dead thing's stomach. The other boy isn't making it easier for the first, either. The mom is a few feet away, laying down and seemingly to relax, but I  _swear_ she gives me a stink-eye when we lock gazes.

        "If I may ask, which mabic are you thinking of choosing? The female or the male with purple markings?"

        "I don't know," I admit.

        Father still hasn't given his official permission yet, seeing as I haven't done my side of the deal, but I'm getting really close! Father says that I should be ready for my final test (for my flames) in three days, which he warns that will be on a live subject. I don't know who, since it obviously can't be him, and I'm extremely nervous about it. So far I've subjected my flames to food, although I've gotten to the point where I can close my eyes and/or multitask without burning it. Eight times out of ten, anyways.

        I've also been making good progress with my fighting. This past human month Father has doubled my physical training, especially every eighth day. Which is usually the day Father has more time on his hands. However, I've already tried to spar with one of the castle's guards and failed twice...The first time I accidentally used my flames...Father wasn't happy about that...

        In any case, Bear has been just as eager about me getting my own dragon as me, although sometimes he seems more pleased with himself than excited. He's already expressed how "honoured" he would be if I "allow" him to instruct me on how to properly care for one, and how he'd be "so happy" to "be of more service" and train my dragon for me. That if I accept, my dragon will be "the mightiest of them all."

        In fact, now that I think about it, a lot of trainers seem to hover around me a lot. I used to think it's just because they're worried about my safety, but now I'm not too sure...More often than not, they'll talk a lot about how capable they are at their jobs and offer lessons and tips. Bear is usually quick to shoo them away, though.

        Yenzo one time muttered about "boot-licking" one particular busy trip, when we left and were on your way back home, but when I asked what he meant he just smiled. He responded that it's nothing I have to worry about with them, but to be more careful with others that may act the same. I don't completely understand, but whatever.

        I blink, realizing that Bear didn't say anything about the third. "What about the other one?" I question curiously.

        Appalled, Bear says, "My Prince, why would you desire the  _runt?_ There are plans for it to be put down tomorrow."

        "What?!" I can't help but shout. "Why?!" My eyes fly to smallest boy, who is trying to squeeze in between his siblings. Only to be snarled at and back away with his tail tucked.

        "It is too weak," Bear explains bluntly. "It is smaller than the rest, too weak to even properly fight for food in front of him. Therefore there isn't even the chance of it to grow in strength in the near future. It's simply not worth our resources."

        Anger suddenly rushes through me, and I stamp down the impulse to throw a fire ball at Bear. "But that's not fair!" I protest loudly. "It's not  _his_ fault that he was born smaller than the others!" ' _How can Bear say that? I thought he loved working with the dragons, loved the dragons themselves! He always sounds happy when talking about them!'_

        "It's simply the way of nature. The runt would not survive in the wild either," Bear says calmly, shrugging as if that's all to it.

        I fume, crossing my arms. "Well, he's  _not_ in the wild. And he  _isn't_ going to be killed just because he's small. Because  _I'll_ take care of him."

        "My Prince-"

        "No!" I cut his stumble off with a glare. "Take me to your boss. I'm not going to let you kill him."

        When Bear doesn't do so immediately, I shoot a "fine" and turn on my heel. I spot another worker and march up to her. "Take me to the person in charge. Please," I add.

        Glancing sheepishly at a shocked and bewildered Bear, the demonness tells and gives a short bow to me. "Right away, Prince Rin."

        Bear follows.

        I'm led up stairs that I haven't seen before. Only the main floor, outside, and the underwater basement holds the dragons. This floor seems to be for all the offices and desk jobs and such. We get a few curious looks, but no one approaches or says anything. The demonness takes me to the door at the end of the hallway, that has a gold scripted name on it that I don't bother to try to read.

        She knocks firmly. "Sir, Prince Rin...And manager Zexo wish to speak with you."

        There's a pause, before a gruff voice says to enter. The door is opened and the demonness steps to the side so that I could go in. The office, while clean, neutral coloured and spacious, doesn't look anything special. (Or, at least, not compared to Father's.) A large, serious looking, muscular demon with four eyes is behind the desk. He raises when he sees me and offers his hand. I blink at the change, but shake his hand nonetheless.

        "Can I assume that you have chosen your mabic?" he questions curtly.

        I nod. "I want the smallest fire type one."

        The boss's poker face slips as he raises his eyebrows. "You want the  _runt?"_

        My irritation is further fueled at his tone, but I don't break eye contact as I nod again. "Yeah. It's not his fault that he's small! So I'll take care of him if you guys can't."

        The boss looks behind me to Bear, who is grimacing and quietly shakes his head. He turns his attention back to me, with his lips curled mockingly ever so slightly. "I don't think you understand what you're saying. Even if you claim ownership, the runt will still be using  _our_ resources. It is my men that will be training it and yourself, our dens that it will be taking up space in and our water it will be drinking. My men that will clean up after it. Even if you provide food until it is able to hunt for itself, the runt will  _never_ be as strong as the others. It's not even worth breeding, for any offspring will be weaker than it. If you want a male, the other is a much-"

        "No!"

        The boss's nostrils flare at the interruption. I don't care. "It's not fair! I don't  _care_ if you say he'll be weaker! You can't know that unless you give him a chance!"

        "Listen here, bra-Prince, I have been in charge of this place for ten years, and studying and training mabics longer. It has been proven every time that the runt is never able to measure up to the others. It is already planned to be taken care of tomorrow, so I'm afraid that what you want is not possible. There are other -better- hatchlings, if you don't want any of the other fire type," he growls.

        I bare my own fangs.  _'lair!'_  The urge to set his pants on fire is  _really_ tempting. "I want  _him,_ and I'm not going to let you kill him. I'm going to tell my Father." With that, I angrily turn on my heel and storm out of the room and towards the exit.

        Yenzo isn't supposed to pick me up until later, but I don't want to talk to anyone here anymore and I  _need_ to see Father. Father said that I'm like mom, in the way I stand up for other people. Surely he'll agree with me that the baby dragon doesn't deserve to die!

        The dragon's reserve, for a lack of better word, is about a week's travel -much, much longer on foot- to the castle if one doesn't have access to the teleporter. That's not what it's actually  _called_ , mind you, but it teleports you to a designated place and that's what  _I_ call it.

        I stomp my way to the teleporter and let the stationed guard take my spit, so that the guard can make sure that I'm me. Yenzo says that some demons can trick minds, and cards are unreliable so that's why I need to offer my DNA every time. The guard bows shallowly as I step into the transparent box and disappear.

        It's a weird feeling; being teleported. I don't know how to describe it, other than it makes my skin crawl while doing so and.. _Off,_  tingly, minutes later.

        I'm teleported to what I smartly dub the "teleporting room," which is basically a room with teleporting boxes with a couple guards stationed inside. We don't pay each other any mind as I exit. My first assumption is to go to Father's office, but he isn't there. I try the throne room next, but he isn't there either. I'm stumped. In all of my time here, he's in either room or he summons me and a servant leads me to him.

        I...I don't know where Yenzo could be either. He's  _always_  with me, and when he isn't it's because I have free time and I don't see him again until he's waking me up the next morning. With a start, I suddenly realize that Yenzo isn't going to know where I am, either, since I was supposed to wait for him with the dragons.

_'Crap!'_

        Well, there's nothing to do but ask around. I guess. I find a maid, who is heating one of the many fireplaces.

        "Excuse me," I approach her. Her eyes widen with recognition as she pauses. "Can you tell me where Father or Yenzo is?"

        She bites her lip. "I'm afraid that I can not, Prince Rin. However, I can direct you to someone who might if you wish."

        I beam. "Thanks!"

        She leads me through the west wing, and a branch-off that I haven't explored yet. I guess there's a  _lot_ of places I haven't checked out yet. She pauses in front of two different hallways, seemingly hesitate which one to take, glancing down at me.

        I blink up to her. "Are you-"  _'what's the word for lost again? Bi?'_ "-Are you lost or something?"

 _Now_ she seems confused. "You need a restroom?" she questions.

        "No! I-" I try to back track. My mind is blank. "Eh, do you...Not know where to go?" I gesture helplessly to the two different hallways.

        "There is a restroom-"

        "No!" I growl in frustration. She flinches, and I immediately feel bad. "I- urg, just...Lead me to the person. Please."

        The silence is now uncomfortable as she picks the hallway on the right and I follow behind her. She knocks on a door.

        "Go away!" a voice barks on the other side. "I said no interruptions!"        

        "Ma'am-" the maid starts.

        "I will hang you by your intestines!"

        The maid flinches away from the door. I frown and open the door anyways.

        A slim demoness with purple skin and a nasty scar on her nose scowls behind a pile of paperwork. "You must  _really_ want- who the fuck are you, brat?"

        I open my mouth, but she continues with a sneer.

        "No, you know what? I don't give drop of holy water who's lord snot nosed brat you are. I'm too blessed busy, and if you don't fucking leave  _right now,_ I  _will_ rip out your spine and-"

        "My name is Rin, and I need help finding Father and Yenzo," I raise my voice over her's.

        She freezes, the sneer falling off her face. She narrows her eyes.  _"Prince_  Rin?" She glances behind me to the maid, who meekly nods her head. The scarred demoness pales as she evaluates me.  _"Of course_  you fucking are," she quietly laughs nervously to herself.  _"Of course."_  She clears her throat as she stands -causing me to realize that she has  _four_ arms- and bows by the waist. "Please forgive my rudeness. I foolishly didn't know who you were," she tells me.

        I shuffle my feet awkwardly when she doesn't straighten, but simply stays in the deep bow and waits. "It's fine. I just need help finding Father or Yenzo," I rub the back of my neck sheepishly.

        She raises with a fake smile. It looks  _really_ wrong on her. "It'll be my pleasure. If I may ask, who is Yenzo?"

        "My butler."

        "Right. I'll make a few calls -if that's alright with you?"

        I nod, wondering why it wouldn't be and on her sudden personality change.

        The scarred demoness glares at the maid. "What you still doing here? Go finish your job!" she barks.

        The maid bows before scurrying away.

        She mutters something about "useless wicks" underneath her breath as she grabs a phone and dials. I don't actually know, or remember, what "wicks" is in Japanese. It doesn't sound very nice either way, though. I look around the office in boredom as I wait for her to finish. My eyes find the dangerous looking weapon on the wall more than once.

        "Your butler will be here shortly, Prince Rin," she says after a few minutes. She still has that plastic and  _wrong_ smile.

 _'She looks better scowling.'_ "Okay." I respond. There isn't any other chairs so I just remain standing. "Oh, what's your name?" Yenzo and Yukio would both whack me upside the head if they knew I asked someone for help and didn't even know their name beforehand. Eh, on second thought I guess Yenzo wouldn't make it as big of a deal as Yukio would. But the demoness looks important looking, so...

        "IouAiji, my Prince. I am the head of all of the humble servants and slaves. Although your and High Lord Satan's personal servants are out of my jurisdiction."

_'Wait, slaves-?'_

        "I do apologize for my behaviour earlier," she continues with a sweetness and makes my skin crawl.

 _'Fake!'_ her whole demeanor screams.  _'Not natural! Fake, fake, fake-'_

        "You won't tell anyone about it, will you? It's just that I've had lots of interruptions today, and I have lots of paperwork that's due tonight, so I've been really stressed. You understand right?"

        "Sure," I lie. She seems pleased -and a little relieved?- with my reply. We lapse into awkward silence. Both not knowing what to do or say as we wait.

        "Do you mind if I continue with my paper work?" she questions.

        I shrug. She takes that as permission and sits back down. Eventually the door opens again,  _finally_ revealing Yenzo. "Yenzo!" I greet happily.

        "Young Master," he returns smoothly with an arched brow. "Now,  _do_ tell me why aren't with the mabics? I went there only to find you missing, and then for a pager to inform me that you are  _here_."

        I laugh and rub my neck nervously. "Well, I got angry with Bear and Bear's boss, see."

        Yenzo's brow arches higher. "Indeed," he drawls. "Thank you for your assistance, ma'am," he nods his head to Aiji before looking back to me. "Come along, sir. We are already running late."

        I quickly catch up with Yenzo's long strides when he leaves the office. "Late? Late for what?" I ask, confused.

        "Don't tell me you've already forgotten about your meeting with Queen Iblis, sir," he chastises.

        I blink. "That's today?"

        Yenzo sighs. "Yes it is. And you should have waited for me like I told you earlier. First impressions are important, and we are already ten minutes late."

        I can't help but roll my eyes. Ten minutes isn't  _that_ late. "I need to talk to Father," I inform. "It's really important!"

        "And why is that, if I may ask?"

        "They're going to kill the fire runt just because he's the smallest!"

        Yenzo glances down to me. The  _"And?"_ is silent. "And assume that you're against it...?"

        "Yes!" I fume. "It's not right! So  _I'm_ going to take care of him instead! Don't you think that it's wrong?" I demand.

        "It is very... _Noble_  of you, sir," Yenzo responds diplomatically.

        I beam. I knew Yenzo would see it my way. Now just to convince Father! "So we can go find Father, right? We have to hurry, or else they're going to get rid of him tomorrow!" I persist.

        "I'm afraid Lord Satan is not present in the castle currently. However I'm sure you can meet with him later tonight at training."

        I frown. "Where is he? What's he doing?"

        "I do not know," Yenzo answers helplessly. "Now, you  _must_ be mindful of your manners-"

_'Here we go...'_

        "Queen Iblis may be your sister, however she is still a  _Queen_  and you must give her the due respect. If she offers her hand you must gently kiss her knuckles, and if she doesn't a simple and shallow bow will suffice. Keep eye contact when speaking - _don't_ mumble- and please do not blurt whatever comes to your mind first.  _Think_ before-"

        I roll my eyes again. "You weren't this worked up with Azzy-nii or Moldy."

        Yenzo inhales sharply. "Yes, well, you were  _new_ and didn't  _know_ then. And speaking of; please  _do not_  call King Azazel or King Astaroth those...nicknames in front of the Queen."

        "Why not?" I pout.  _"They_ don't care." Or, I guess  _Azzy-nii_ doesn't. I've only met the creeper Astaroth twice, and I hadn't though of the name 'Moldy' then. Azzy-nii finds it amusing, though. Even spat out his drink when I first said it.

        "It's rude."

        "But why would  _she_ care?"

        He pinches the bridge of his nose. "I beg of you, please just do as I say."

        I grumble, but promise to be on my "best behaviour." I swear, Yenzo worries more than Yukio! And that's saying something!

        Queen Iblis is apparently waiting in one of the entertainment rooms. I was wondering what she looks like -did she have fur like Hasc? Scales like Yenzo? Horns? Maybe lizard eyes! Feathers like Kazeko? Or maybe even multiple arms and a colourful skin tone like Aiji?- but it turns out she's...Disappointingly normal looking.

        Very pretty, but with no obvious demonic traits aside from the normal fangs, claws, and pointed ears. Although I guess the closed third eye on her forehead is interesting. Her long, black hair is pulled back into a braid. She's wearing all black fitted pants and (what most closely resembles a) leather coat that's normal length in front but has a long tail at the back, and tight heeled boots. She's also wearing a red choker that matches her lipstick and dangly earrings. Lastly; a sword at her hip.

        She's very stern looking.

        "Hi," I greet simply. I try to ignore Yenzo's eyes boring into my back as he stands by the wall.

        "Hello," she returns with a touch of amusement in her voice. She arches a brow  _-'and that's with that? Why can everyone do that but me?!'-_ "It's very rude to keep others waiting, you know."        

        "Sorry, but I forgot that you were coming today," I shrug. Yenzo's eyes bore harder. I glance at him, but he has his poker face on.  _'What's with him?'_

        She only hums. "Well, sit down," she commands as she does so herself on a couch. I do. "How are you favouring Gehenna?"

        I shrug again, trying not to think about my life in Assiah before and Dad and the other priests. "I like it. Yenzo is a great teacher, and I love spending time with the dragons! I also made a friend. Her name is Kazeko. Father says that she can visit again in five days."

        "Dragons?" she questions.

        "I mean mabics," I correct myself. "I call them dragons because they look like them."

        "And that is a dragon?"

        "They're magical beasts in Assiah. Oh! I could show you them! Father is going to let me keep one after I master my flames and win a fight without them! Come on!" I chatter excitedly and pull her up. She a Queen, so Bear and the boss will  _have_ to listen if she takes my side! Right?

        Surprise flashes across her face. "Did he?"

        "Yup!" I nod and start to tug her in the direction of the teleporting room. "And I'm going to save the runt, because he doesn't deserve to die just because he's smaller!" I scowl at the thought.

        Iblis doesn't say anything about that, only studies me skeptically. "Speaking of Father, why don't you show me the blue flames." It isn't a request.

        I pause and raise my hand -the one not in Iblis's- and light it aflame. A warmth floods my chest as she examines it closely. I'm pretty proud of myself. It took me a long time to control it like this!

        "Amazing," she breathes as she watches my dancing flames.

        I grin as I puff out my chest. "Yeah! I'm working really hard! Hey, hey, you're the Queen of fire too, right?"

        "I am, but I'm afraid that I never inherited  _Father's_ flames. Mine are very dangerous, but the blue flames can even devour souls. Something that I nor my kin can never do."

_-Running, screaming, bodies rolling away, the unmistakable smell of flesh melting, blue eating it all up-_

        I swallow the sudden heavy lump in my throat. I'm not feeling too proud anymore. "H-Have you ever killed anyone with  _your_ fire?" I whisper with downcast eyes as my flames die out. Just like the humans and the criminal...

        Iblis stares at me. "Of course I have," she answers without any regret or emotion. "I remember a foolish rebellion -perhaps about five hundred years ago?- that Father ordered me to take care of. It was over rather quickly, and Father got Azazel to gather the souls for him."

        My eyes widen. "What did he do to them?"

        "I never asked."

        "Oh. But they were bad people, right? Like my -like the child killer I fought?"

        "There was also the time  _dear_ Egyn ludicrously decided to wage war with me over land," here she smirks, her fangs poking and glinting dangerously from the bottom. "His mistake."

_'His mistake...'_

_-"It is either you or him, son. Remember that."-_

_'Right.'_ Goosebumps crawls up my arms as my baby hairs stand up the more I stare at Iblis. She doesn't  _look_ crazy or have sudden changes and flips of rage, not like Moldy, but there's still the hidden bloodlust in her deep crystal blue eyes...Or maybe satisfaction? Both? "He's not dead right, though?" I have to ask.

        Iblis blinks in surprise. "No, of course not -not  _him_ anyways. His soldiers are another matter. But Father would have my tail if I actually  _murdered_ our brother. No matter how loud, annoying, or idiotic. I simply and utterly ruined him economically and beat the holy out of him. I and my military is far superior to his."

        "Oh." That's...Good?

        "Come. You were going to show me the mabics?"

        Without another choice I nod and start leading again.


	7. Family Get-Together

        "They're...Going to throw you a birthday party?" Yukio repeats slowly.

        I rub my neck sheepishly, laughing a bit. "Yeah, it's supposed be next week or something. Yesterday I mentioned how I -how  _we_ \- are turning seven soon. Nee-san was really-"

        "Don't call them that!" Yukio snaps.

        I startle at his sharp tone.

        Yukio sniffs, tears beginning to swell in his eyes. "Don't call them Nee-san, Father, or  _anything!_ They're  _not_ your family! Have you already forgotten about us?"

        My chest compresses painfully. "No, no!" I panic, trying to reassure him. "I haven't! How could I?"  _'How can I forget how Dad betted our lives? That he works for the people that killed mom -of how he and the other priests' jobs is to kill demons like me? How can I forget about all the times Dad read us stories at bedtime, of the times he played ball, took us to the park, helped with our homework? How can I forget about the warmth of his hugs, of the careful way he tried to teach me how to cook, his ever so rare proud smiles that he used to send my way? Of how I'll never get them again? How can I ever get the picture of his face twisting in disgust, seeing the demon in me, out of my mind? I won't. I won't ever forget, Yukio, just like you'll never stop reminding me.'_

_-"He does not want you if you are not human."_

_"Know that_ I  _never cared whether you are human or demon. You're Yuri's son, and mine, after all."-_

        "Then why do you call them your family?" Yukio demands pitifully.

        I nudge the grass with my shoe. "You're both my families," I mumble.

        Yukio grabs my shoulders harshly. "Can't you see, Nii-san? They're trying to  _buy_ you! The party, the baby dragon, everything!"

        "Stop it," I shake Yukio off with a spark of irritation. "You're wrong. It's not true. I have to  _earn_ the dragon, and the party is just a party. Nee-san just wants me to finally meet the others. They're even arriving early to visit before the party. She says that they should have introduced themselves before anyways."

        "You're going to meet  _more_  of them?" Yukio says, aghast.

 _'I don't think Yukio would like hearing about how I have to earn my dragon by fighting in an arena. In two days.'_ I bite my cheek and look away. I don't want to talk about this anymore. "Oh, hey!" I exclaim and point to a tall three. "I bet I can climb higher than you!" I don't wait for him as I run towards it and start climbing.

        "B-Be careful!"

        I ignore Yukio's worries as I climb higher and higher. "Come on, Yukio!" I grin down at him. "It's fine, see?"

        Yukio bites his lip, but hesitantly follows me. I shoot him a thumbs up once we're both settled on the highest branch we can manage.

        "See? Isn't this so cool?"

        Yukio smiles weakly, glancing downwards for a second. "Yeah, I guess so."

        We both watch the setting sun in the horizon. I always visit Yukio after dinner because I'm too busy with lessons beforehand. Yukio got us walkie-talkies so that I could let him know when I'm in Assiah, and we usually meet up in secluded part of a forest at the nearby park. Dad and the other priests trust Yukio when he says that he's meeting up with a friend at the library that's a five minute walk from the church, although he's only allowed to stay out for a half n' hour. Yukio actually had to meet up with a classmate several times before they let him go alone, only watching him leave by the window. I don't know what we're going to do when it starts snowing though...

       "Hey, how did you do on that math test?" I ask Yukio. Last time I saw him he mentioned that he was worried about it. Which is  _stupid,_ because he's  _really_  smart and he's always gotten good marks in the subject. Unlike me.

        This time Yukio's smile is more real. "I got an A on it," he ducks his head shyly.

        I grin wide. "That's amazing, Yukio! I knew you could do it! What did I tell you?" I would have hugged him, too, but we're sort of in a tree..."I got a language test coming up," I can't help but make a face. "Yen - _They_  say that my 'penmanship' is awful, and that I keep picking up my words and writing them wrong. It's way harder than katakana, though!"

        Yukio frowns, looking confused and troubled. "They're...Teaching you kanji? Japanese?"

        I shake my head. "Nah, it's a demon language called Elopi. After I'm fluent in Elopi I'm going to do a minor language called Ouzygeni."

        "I guess it makes sense...?" Yukio frowns his brows and mumbles to himself. He looks back at me with a determined glint in his eyes. "Nii-san, I'm going to help you with your Japanese!"

        "Wha-?"

        "They're trying to make you forget our culture with their own! But I'm going to let them! Every time you visit we're going to spend fifteen minutes with Japanese and history, okay?"

 _"Yukio,"_ I groan. Yenzo gives me enough work as it is! I don't need any  _more_ one top of it! But Yukio has that stubborn look, and I can only sigh. "No homework, though. I won't do it!"

        Yukio nods. "Okay, it's a promise! This'll also help me with my own work."

        I grumble quietly. "Not that you  _need_ any help."

        The watch on Yukio's wrist goes off. His expression falls."I gotta go..."

        I force a smile on my face, trying to cheer him up. "Okay. I'll see you soon, okay?"

        "Promise?" Yukio pleads, like he does every time I visit.

        "Promise," I reply like I do every time. I close my eyes and picture my bedroom. When I open my eyes I see a cross Yenzo with his fists on his hips looking down at me. I blink in mild surprise. "Hi?"

        Yenzo huffs and shakes his head a little. "Young Master, were you perhaps in Assiah again?" He (not really) questions dryly.

        "Yes...?"

        "And did it perhaps slip your mind that all the Kings and the Queen is visiting tonight? That they took time out of their extremely busy schedules, and what it would look like if you were not here to properly greet them?"

        "I was only gone for half n' hour!" I protest loudly.

        Yenzo gives me a very disappointed look, and I wilt.

        "Sorry..." I mumble. I'm not  _really._

        Yenzo sighs. He does that a lot. "Let's get you washed up, in any case. Can't have you introduced looking like you bathed in a mud puddle." He herds me to the bathroom.

        I shoot half-hearted glare over my shoulder at him. He's exaggerating. My clothes are dirty from playing with Yukio, yes, but not  _that_ dirty!

        "Wash up and I shall get you new clothes," Yenzo instructs.

 _"Fine,"_ I concede and do as told. Once I'm to Yenzo's satisfaction he leads me to the same entertainment room that I met Iblis-nee in. As Yenzo opens the door and steps aside, I hear someone shout:

        "I swear to Father, If you touch my hair  _one more time-"_

        "...I am too sober to deal with all of you," a guy lounging on one of the couches says, reaching to the mini bar beside him and grabs two bottles, as two others argue loudly. The first thing I notice about him is the fact that he has four arms like Aiji, and only one eye. His skin is really the only normal human feature about him, aside from the dress pants and shirt.

        Iblis-nee gives bottle-guy a disgusted look.

        "Nuh-ah," bottle-guy wags a finger at her. "Don't even start. Just because  _you_ have a holy amount of patience to deal with them without help, doesn't mean we  _all_ do."

        Azzy-nii, who is sitting on a chair by the sort-of-but-not-quite pool table, snorts. "Now, Beelzebub, we both know that's a lie."

        "Little Prince!" Moldy (or "Astaroth" as Yenzo tries to correct me) suddenly stops mid-fight and beams when he spots me.

        "Oi! Don't just walk away from me!" The other argument-er barks as Moldy breaks apart from him and stalks over to me.

        I immediately take safety at Azzy-nii's side. Bottle-guy -Beelzebub?- looks amused by this. Moldy rests his big hand in my shoulder, pressing me to his side, anyways. Apparently, resistance is futile.

        "Crush any bones or smite any souls since I last saw you?" Moldy leers.

        I tense and lean away. "Let me go," I demand.

        Moldy squeezes me closer and opens his mouth.

        "Let the kid go," Azzy-nii frowns at Moldy.

        "I ain't  _doing_ anything, right kid? We're good."

        "Let me go," I repeat and struggle harder. How strong  _is_ this guy?

        It seems like Moldy is going to argue further, but when Iblis-nee narrows her eyes at him he backs off with his hands raised. "What are you guys, his opym?" He sneers.

_'What's a "opym"?'_

        "Does that mean you're the water?" Azzy-nii retorts with a quirk of his lips.

        Moldy scowls, his eyes flashing as his hands fist. I inch away, hairs standing on end, at the show of anger.

        The guy who was fighting with Moldy earlier pushes his way uncomfortably close to me -examining me with barely concealed disgust. "So this is the runt? He doesn't look like much. Jequir could take him," he scoffs. This guy is one of the most normal looking ones, aside from his unnaturally deep blue eyes and tall height. His rough-looking skin also seems to have a slight black tinge to it. It looks kinda like a dark grey. Sort of.

        He's still a big jerk either way, though.

        "Hey!" I protest, irritation flaring. "Don't call me a runt!"

        "I'll call you whatever I want,  _runt."_

        "Leave the  _kid_  alone, Egyn," Iblis-nee commands.

        "Or  _what?"_ Egyn challenges. "Going to run and tattle to dear old Father?"

        " _Please_  take your jealousy issues somewhere else," Beelzebub-nii drawls while cradling his drink.

        "I'm not jealous!"

        "Egyn is right, Beelzebub. He has  _envy_ issues, not jealous ones. Jealousy is when you're afraid that someone is going to take something of yours," Azzy-nii corrects lazily.

        Beelzebub-nii raises his drink slightly in Azzy-nii's direction. "Point."

        "Go choke on a cross -both of you!" Egyn snaps, glaring at the unimpressed Azzy-nii and disinterested Beelzebub-nii.

        Despite the tense atmosphere, I can feel amusement bubbling inside me from the exchange.

        "How rude," Beelzebub-nii drawls.

        Iblis-nee grimaces. "You're starting to sound like Samael," she tells Beelzebub-nii.

        Beelzebub-nii blinks, then his face twists up and takes a long gulp of his drink, as Egyn says:

        "Shut up,  _eighth."_

        Iblis-nee raises her brows. "If we're bringing the hierarchy into this-"

        "Oh, just because you're fucking Father's favourite-" Egyn starts.

        Beelzebub-nii snorts into his drink. "I wouldn't be too sure of that, anymore," he murmurs and eyes me pointedly.

        Both Iblis-nee and Egyn don't seem to hear him, though, as they continue to bicker.

        I turn to Azzy-nii in silent question, confused on what's happening.

        He sighs. "Honestly, it's best to just ignore Egyn as much as you can," he advises me. "He likes to pick fights, and is the quickest to anger next to Astaroth." He nods to Moldy, who has moved onto digging behind the mini bar. "But I still wouldn't flat out ignore him, either, if I were you. At least not until you can beat him to a bloody pulp without trouble."

        "Okay..." I say, unsure.

        "Oh, my  _apologies,"_ Egyn mocks loudly, "My  _King."_

        In a blink of an eye and with a sudden  _BANG!_ Iblis-nee has Egyn gasping and struggling against the wall as Iblis-nee holds him above the ground with a single hand around his throat. "Call me that  _one more fucking time,"_ she snarls viciously.  _"I dare you."_

        My eyes pop out of my head at the abrupt display.

        "Iblis. Release your brother."

        Iblis-nee recoils away from Egyn as if he burnt her. She swirls on her heels, hands clasped behind her, and locks gazes with Father with a stoic expression. "I apologize, Father."

        Next to her on the floor, Egyn gathers himself while sneering at her and rubbing his abused throat.

        Everyone is paying attention now, all standing or sitting up straight and staring at Father, who is by the doorway. Beelzebub-nii even puts his drink down. Father surveys the room and everyone in it. His lips thin in displeasure. "Where is Amaimon and Samael?" he questions.

        "Still in Assiah, Father," a man at the far wall speaks up evenly. He's wearing a white suit with a couple of gold chains on it. His eyes are reptilian and a pretty green hue, and without possessing the usual white. His shiny short blonde hair has a funny cow lick at the back. Aside from the eyes and the obvious pointy ears, teeth and claws, his tongue is also unnaturally pointy and the only other demonic feature that I can see.

        "When did you get here?" I ask loudly in surprise. I never even noticed him until now! I'm ignored aside from a few glances, though. I pout.

        "He's Lucifer, thee eldest," Azzy-nii quietly informs me.

        "And the official Ass-Kisser," Egyn snarks just as quietly.

        Lucifer-nii hears him and glares. I get shivers up my spine even though he isn't looking at  _me._

        "Egyn, behave," Father scolds.

        Beelzebub-nii and Iblis-nee smirk slightly at each other.

        "Father, please allow me to get them," Moldy eagerly steps forward with one hand on his chest.

        Father considers him for a moment. "No," he decides. "Lucifer, go retrieve your late brothers."

        "I understand, Father," Lucifer-nii replies evenly and steps forward. Father reaches into one of his pockets and takes out a glass vile with crimson liquid in it. Lucifer-nii leaves after taking it, thanking Father.

        My eyes widen as I remember the same thing from right before I went to Assiah.  _'So it's Father's blood! But how -actually, that makes sense. Father's blood has to be magical! He's an actual_ God _, right? Wow...'_ My gaze wanders to Iblis-nee.  _'Yeah, but what about...?'_ "Ah, Iblis-nee?" I ask hesitantly.  _'Please don't get angry with me, please don't get angry with me-'_

        "What?" She turns and responds.

        I bite my lip, before blurting out, "Why did you do that?" I gesture to the fuming Egyn.

        Moldy snickers and Egyn's lips twitch. Even Azzy-nii, Beelzebub-nii and  _Father_ seem amused.

        "It's because the exorcists always declare her as a  _king,"_ Moldy dares to crackle.

        "Why?"

        "It is none of your business," Iblis-nee grits out.

        "But-"

        "The first time our dear sister was found out by the exorcists in Assiah, she was possessing the body of a man. Ever since then she's been known as the King of Fire," Azzy-nii explains.

 _"Thank you_ , Azazel," Iblis-nee glowers.

        "You're welcome," he replies without missing a beat.

        "Maybe you should wear a flower crown," I offer.

        "Excuse you?" She blinks.

        I shrug. "Well, girls at my old school liked to do that sort of stuff. So maybe if you wear a flow crown next time you're in Assiah the exorcists will believe you. And...Possess a girl too. Um, the humans don't get hurt when they're possessed, right?" I ask Father.

        "They sometimes keep any injuries that their bodies get while possessed, like missing limbs. And any possession longer than a human year will result in the decaying of the human soul. Eventually the human soul, which is 'pushed to the side' will fade out while the demon soul inhabits the body," Father says unrepentantly.

        My heart drops to my toes as my eyes widen in alarm. That-That doesn't sound good. "But that's not right! Why, but -you guys don't possess humans for longer than a year, right?" I demand from the others.

        "Don't tell me you're  _another_  human lover," Egyn sneers.

        What does he mean by  _that_?! "I'm  _half_ human!" I glare at him defiantly. I  _really_ don't like him! Maybe even more than Creepy Moldy!  _'His name is now Butt Hole!'_

        Butt Hole's face doesn't get any prettier. "Oh? And where's your mom? Dead? Or maybe not even scum like  _her_  wanted a halfbreed like you-" Butt Hole only cut off when Moldy sharply and non-subtly elbows him in the gut.

        Meanwhile my blood boils more and more as Egyn speaks. "SHUT UP!" I finally scream at him, furious. My body explodes in blue fire and everyone aside from Father jumps away. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" I don't even care that I'm on fire. I'm just about to launch myself at him when everything suddenly gets  _so much_ heavier. I gasp, my knees buckling as I struggle to breathe. But I can't, can't do it -my lungs aren't working,  _can't_   _draw a breath-_ blood rushing through my ears, I'm clawing at my throat, the very air is compressing, pushing me  _downdowndown-_

        And then it stop. It stops, the  _so heavy_  feeling is lifted, and I can breathe again. I wheeze and cough on the ground.  _'Wha-What_ was  _that?'_

        I'm faintly aware of a hand that settles on my head as I try to understand. Warm arms gathers me and tucks me against a chest. "I apologize, Rin," a deep voice rumbles. I blink away the tears that are slowly forming. "Sssh, sssh. It's alright, just breathe."

        I clutch the person's shirt tighter. "Da-Father?" I swallow, my throat dry. "Wha-Wha-" I pull away slightly to look up at him. I'm not sure what to make of his expression. His face may as well have been craved out of rock, but his blazing eyes are almost...Soft as he rubs my back soothingly. "Wha-Wha-" I can't seem to form the words. They keep getting stuck.  _'What was that?'_

        "I did not think what it would be like for you if I unleashed some of my aura," Father admits. "It won't happen again." he hugs me closer. I rest my head against his beating heart and take deep breaths. This is...Nice. Warm. Though my skin still tingles with phantom..Whatever it was. I only know it was so  _heavy_  and  _everywhere_ and-

        And I  _never_ what to experience that blinding panic again.

        "You," Father commands and snaps his fingers at Yenzo. "Take Rin to his rooms."

        Yenzo steps forward but I push myself up. "No, I'm fine," I shake my head and protest. "Really!" I try to force a smile, but it comes out shaky. Yenzo hesitates, glancing at Father. Father examines me closely.

        "Very well then," he concedes, putting me down and straightens himself. He turns his attention to the utterly petrified Butt Hole, who is sprawled out on the ground across from us. His eyes are glued to Father as his body shakes mutely. His jaw moves a few times, but nothing comes out.

        My gut twists and I shuffle my feet, uncomfortable with the sight.

        It's not just the Butt- _Egyn_  either. (It feels wrong to call him 'Butt Hole' now. Not while he's pale as a ghost and looking like he just saw one.) Everyone else are verifying degrees of white and unable to look away from Father and Egyn. All are the farthest away from Father as they can be without going through the walls. Beelzebub-nii is clutching a broken bottle to his chest. Azzy-nii just shakes his head, a whisper of the word 'idiot' falling from his lips as Iblis-nee stands completely stiff beside him. Astaroth is grimacing away, curling into himself.

        Father, though...Any small traces of softness or soothing warmth is swiped away with the stifling heat of his wrath. "Egyn," he growls deeply. He stalks forward until he's inches away from Egyn, looming over him. "Do not speak of Yuri like that, or next time I'll burn your tongue off. _Permanently_. Do you  _understand?"_

        Egyn slowly shakes his head, as if that's all he can bring himself to move."I-I-I-I-...S-Sorry. I-I ap-p-p-apolo-apologize, Fa-Father. I'm an idiot. I-I don't, I won't do it again. P-Please, for-give me. I-I'm sorry. I didn't -I didn't  _know_ \- I didn't-!" Egyn continues to stutter and fumble until Father visibly grows annoyed, and then he snaps his jaw shut so hard that I can't help but wince at the noise his teeth make.

 _"Do you understand?"_ Father repeats with another rumbling growl.

        Egyn bobs his head so fast it may just fall off his shoulders.

        "Good. I believe a... _Visit_ with Maikio will help you remember this warning."

        "No," Egyn croaks quietly, eyes even wider than they were before.

 _"No?"_ Father echos.

        Egyn's whole body shakes harder. "N-No, I-I...T-That not what I -not what I-!" He swallows. "Th-That isn't n-necessary, Fathe-er."

        "Oh, I-"

        "Father," I tug on his sleeve, cutting him off. I feel more than see people tense further. Father slowly turns to me, arching a fine brow. I try my best not to flinch at the pure  _fury_  in his eyes. I fail. I lick my bottom lip. But no matter how mean Egyn was, I don't like seeing this even more. Besides, aren't you supposed to give people a second chance? And I can't remember who this Maikio is, though it rings a bell somewhere, but Egyn  _really_ seems like he doesn't want to go to him...And I don't think I  _want_ to remember who Maikio is. "I-He said sorry. I'm sure he won't do it again, right?" I glance at Egyn.

        He's staring at me with a desperate, crazy look that sends another spike of unease through me. "Yes, yes!" he agrees hastily. He looks back to Father. "I-I won't do it again! Just...Please, Father, don't..."

        "Um. Maybe just ground him instead? Or a long time out?" I suggest.

        Someone makes weird, muffled strangled-laugh noise behind us.

        Father's upper lip curls, revealing his sharp fangs. "I do not take insult to your mother  _lightly_ , Rin, and neither should you. No matter who utters it." He turns back to Egyn and says, "Take him away, and tell Maikio that he is free to do as he wishes until I personally speak with him further."

        Out of no where guards appear and drag a helpless Egyn away, closing the doors again after themselves. I want to say something, but my words are getting stuck whenever I glance at Father or the others.

        "Now," Father says while running his hand through my hair, the fiery anger in his eyes slowly turning to a simmer as he looks at me. "What do you wish to do, Rin? This is your first birthday here in Gehenna, after all."

        I try to get rid of the image of a terrified Egyn out of my mind, but's extremely hard to do. When Father's question catches up to me my first impulse is to play ball but...That's what Dad and I used to do. "Uh, what about a cooking contest?"

        "A cooking contest?" Father repeats, sounding faintly amused.

        I visibly relax at his tone. "Yeah! I once saw a show on the TV. We'll all try to make the same meal, but whoever the judges says is the best will get a prize." Plus, I really can't think of anything else. I doubt the others would like to play 'explore the castle and spy on the servants' with me. I turn to the others, who are still where I saw them last. "What do you guys think?"

        A few of them glance at Father with uncertainty.

        "I'd love to," Azzy-nii finally replies smoothly.

        Beelzebub-nii mutters his agreement.

        "What shall the prize be, Rin?" Father muses.

        I shrug. "I don't know. Some sort of dessert?"

        "I shall allow the winner a small, free favour of their choices," Father decides.

        I can see that this interests everyone else.

        I grin at their sudden desire. "But what if you win?" Ask Father. He can't really earn a 'favour' with  _himself._

        "I don't need a prize."

        I shrug again. If he says so. "Oh, wait, I guess we have to wait for the others..." I deflate.

        "Who will be the judges?" Iblis-nee questions. "It can't be  _any_ servant. We wouldn't receive any honest answers."

        "Why doesn't Father be the judge? That is if you're alright with that, of course," Moldy hastily adds towards Father.

        "No!" I immediately protest, gaining strange (and some oddly shocked, for whatever reason) looks. "He can't be a judge if he's one of the _players!"_

        "Who do you suggest, then?"

        I think about it for a second. "What about Hasc and the other head chefs?" That's their job, after all, right? And it's not just one person judging so it'll be more fair?

        It looks like Iblis-nee is about to argue, but when Father agrees her teeth click shut.

        "I say the losers have to eat all of the worst dish," Moldy offers gleefully.

        Beelzebub-nii gags while Iblis-Ned's face twists up in disgust.

        "I am  _not_ eating whatever Samael makes!" Beelzebub-nii flatly refuses.

        It seems like Moldy suddenly remembers something as his face turns a bit green.

        "What?" I question them curiously.

        Azzy-nii shakes his head. "You don't want to know, Rin. It's best to just leave that horror in the past."

 _'I really do now.'_ "Fine. But, um, what should we do  _now?"_ I change the subject. "When will Clown-nii, Lucifer-nii, and Amaimon-nii come back?"

        Both Azzy-nii and Beelzebub-nii choke while Moldy grins viciously.

"Excuse me, but  _what_ did you just call Samael?" Beelzebub-nii sputters.

And just like that, the tense atmosphere is evaporated. Even if only by some.

        Moldy positively crackles. "Oh-! I can't wait until he hears this! 'Clown-nii'-!"

        "Why do you call him that?" Iblis-nee wonders with raised brows.

        I shrug. "Cause he looks like a clown," I respond bluntly.

        "Got any other nicknames?" Moldy grins.

        "You're Moldy and Egyn is Butt Hole." My eyes widen and I slap a hand over my mouth.  _'Oh, crap! I actually told him that!'_

        Now it's Beelzebub-nii and Iblis-nee's time to laugh, though they do it inwards. They smirk at the highly offended         looking Moldy.

        "It's quite fitting, actually," Iblis-nee teases cruelly.

        Moldy begins to growl, but goes silent aside from deadly glares when Iblis-nee bares her fangs in response.

* * *

        The others do eventually arrive, in which they find Father and Iblis-nee discussing ruler-stuff, Beelzebub-nii drinking on the ouch again, and Moldy trying to talk me into going hunting with him which I stubbornly keep resisting. There's no way I'm going off with a creep like him! Nah-uh!

        Amaimon looks the same since I last saw him, but not Clown-nii. But I guess that's because he was in a host then. Now, his smooth and shiny purple hair reaches his knees. His skin is unnaturally white, and he's wearing a yellow and blue suit with a black vest. He also has the same dopey eyes.

        "Finally," Moldy stops pestering me to sneer at the new arrivals.

        Clown-nii smiles pleasantly. "I would warn you about your face sticking like that, but..."

        Moldy's eyes flash with anger and I inch away. For a second it looks think he's going to get physical, but then he relaxes into his chair and smirks up at Clown-nii. "You sure like to hear yourself talk, don't you,  _Clown-nii?"_

        His right eye twitch. "Now, where did you come up with that, my dear  _little_ brother?" He purrs without looking away from Moldy.

        Moody's grin is shark-like.

        Meanwhile, Amaimon-nii -still with that ridiculously thick tail for his more-or-less normal body size- turns to Father with his eyes downcast. "I apologise for being late, Father."

        Father hums. "Don't do it again."

        I can't help but notice that Clown-nii doesn't make an effort to say sorry. I suddenly snicker at a thought.

        "What's so amusing, Rin?" Father questions me.

        "The King of Space and  _Time_  was late," I giggle.

        Someone snorts while Father's lip twitch.

        "And here I was,  _so_ looking forward to meeting the newest addition in person," Clown-nii frowns at me. There's a sharp warning in his eye.

        "Can we do the cooking contest now?" I ask Father.

        "A  _cooking contest?"_ Clown-nii echoes, incredulous with high brows.

        "Yeah! We're all going to try to cook the same thing, and the winner gets a favour from Father!" I explain excitedly.

        "Oh?" Clown-nii glances at Father. "Sounds like fun. Where will we be holding this contest? I assume Father will be judging if-"

        "Nope! Hasc and the other head chefs are!" I interrupt.

        Clown-nii's right eye twitches. "Right. And where  _is_ dear Egyn? We can't start with him-"

        Once again, he is cut off. This time by Father.

        "Egyn will not be joining us," Father informs coldly.

        To his credit, Clown-nii only pauses for moment, makes eye contact with Azzy-nii, before picking back up as if Father didn't speak. "Let's head off, then! I don't have all day -things to do, you know!"

        "Such as abandoning your lands and kin for your little games?" Iblis-nee retorts scathingly with a narrow eyed look.

        "Exactly," Clown-nii winks, somehow with flourish.

        Iblis-nee huffs.

        I get the feeling that those two don't get along.

        Eventually, Father leads us to Hasc's kitchen after sending an unseen guard to summon the other head chefs.

        Hasc is waiting by the kitchen's door with two others that look similar to him but with different coloured furs, and then they notice Father they immediately get on their knees and bow deeply, heads down.

        "High Lord Satan. Your Highnesses," they echo reverently as one.

        Father examines them stoically. "My son wishes to have a cooking contest. We will create a dish and you shall judge the end results. Know that I will know if you lie and any falsehood to flatter us will not be appreciated."

        Their heads dip in acknowledgement. "Yes, my Lord."

        Father turns his attention to me. "What shall we make, Rin?"

        I glance at the chefs, who are still kneeling. I shift my feet awkwardly as I feel my older siblings' gaze bore into me. "Um," I bite my lip, "Hasc, do you know any good Gehenna-dish ideas?" It wouldn't be very fair to the others if we did an Assiah dish, or one I've already practised, after all.

        "If it pleases you, Prince, I know of a dinner-" Hasc cuts himself when the sound of thundering footsteps outside grow louder before skidding to a stop, and two flustered demons open the door. The bigger one of the two immediately falls to the kneeling bow, but the smaller one is a second later.

        "My deepest apologies for being late, your Majesties," the first murmurs.

        Father's expression hardens, but then he glances at me and seems to sigh. He dismissed them with a single look and instead gives me a pointed look.

        "Um, Hasc, what were you saying?" I say.

        Hasc clears his throat. "There is a dish that should take no longer than hour, and contains that sweetener that you so enjoy," he suggests.

        My mouth is already watering with the heavenly, mentioned sweetener. It's perhaps my favourite Gehenna-ingredient so far. "What's it called?" I wonder.

        "Geeji, my Prince."

        "Can we do that one?" I ask Father with a grin.

        "Of course," Father replies smoothly. He tells the chefs to raise and they do.

        One of them disappears and reappears with several pages of the same recipe and hands them out. At Father's say-so a timer of one hour is set, and started once we're all in our own corner of the huge kitchen.

        I rush to the pantry with my recipe and quickly try to grab all the right ingredients, although it's difficult to gather them all when other people take advantage of their great height and snatch some of them away.

        "Hey!" I protest loudly as Clown-nii takes one right from my hands.

        He just snickers and dances away. I glare at his retreating back, but I can't actually bring myself to be angry when he's the one reason why I can visit Yukio.

        The following hour is complete  _chaos_. It's loud, people are darting here and there, food occasionally flies, alliances, betrayal, colourful curses, sly attempts of sabotage, and graphic threats of murder and bodily harm when some of those sabotages are caught. Meanwhile people slowly grow more and more panicked as the time continues to count down, some more than others.

        Most of them didn't try anything with mine, but I one time caught Amaimon-nii about to add an "unholy amount" (as some of the priests back in Assiah would describe) of spice on my meat when I returned from stealing the veggies from Beelzebub-nii. From then on I made sure to submerge my food with my fire, although it did make it twice as hard to concentrate on the temperature of it and to finish my preparation at the same time. It was worth it, though.

        No one dared to try anything with Father's, to no surprise.

        Although throughout it all I began to feel more and more eyes on me as they realised how well I was doing.

        Finally, the one hour is up and we all present our work to the five judges. Geeji is a dish with mixed, shredded and soft sweet meat -which sounds rather disgusting, but actually tastes surprisingly good- diced and fried veggies, and Gehenna's version of rice. In my opinion mine looks the best with it's blackened-to-perfection meat (drizzled with the golden liquid-sweetener) which is placed nicely on top of the mixed veggies and orange-tinted 'rice.'

        Father's is tested first. He did a good job from what I can immediately see, but he didn't put enough sweetener on top and I can spot several burnt 'rice.'

        I also can't help but notice how flustered and nervous most of the chefs are hinted to be, though a couple of them could be carved out of stone. I grin at Hasc, who has a scoreboard, and who gives a small smile and a dip of his head in return. There's hesitance in most of them, the atmosphere is very tense as one by one they sample Father's food. They glance at each other.

        "So?" Father inquires with a small, amused twitch of his lips. I get the feeling he likes to watch them squirm.

_'It is kinda funny...'_

        "The meat is very good, my Lord, however you did overcook the rice," Hasc admits with downcast eyes and while fidgeting with his fork. "I apologise, my Lord, but I'll have to rate it at a four."

        The chef of Hasc's right eyes bug out at him.

        Father simply hums. "And what do the rest of you think?"

        The other chefs give Father a six, three, five, and another four. That makes Father have a grand score of seventeen points. Next is Lucifer-nii, who seems to have forgotten to fry his veggies. He got a two, three, and three fours, giving him the same amount of points as Father. Clown-nii...

        I don't know  _what_ Clown-nii did to his dish. Somehow it's  _bubbling._ It should not be  _bubbling._ I can't help but gag just looking at it -I feel so much pity for the chefs. I received a stink eye via Clown-nii.

        The chefs are more hesitate to judge Clown-nii's, even compared to Father's. I don't blame them.

        "Hurry up already," Moldy snaps, causing one of them jump in surprise. There's an unkind glint in Moldy's eyes.

        They do, as one -and then promptly passes out.

        Moldy howls with laughter and doesn't even stop when Clown-nii glowers at him. "Oh-! Oh, that's hilarious! Now, Samael, it's not very nice to purposefully poison the judges before the contest is even finished!" He slaps his thigh. "Oh, wait," his expression transforms into fake shock, "That wasn't even on purpose, was it?"

        Clown-nii retorts with a leer; "I simply based it off of your-"

        I don't recognise what Clown-nii said next, but it makes Moldy stop laughing and scowl darkly.

        Iblis-nee smirks.

        "Behave," Father reprimands mildly.

        "Ah, Hasc? Hey, wake up," I try to shake him and the others awake. They slowly arose, and then snap fully awake when they realise who is waiting for them. I step back in line, across from them.

        Hasc and some others flush as they quickly straighten themselves. (They all avoid Clown-nii's heavy gaze.) The one on the far right, the most stern Grandpa-looking one, speaks up. "Please accept our deepest apologise. The flavour was...quiet a shock..."

        Beelzebub-nii snorts.

        He clears his throat and continues, "I'm afraid I'll have award this a zero. It does not taste anything like geeji."

        There's murmurs of agreements and winces. The other chefs gives Clown-nii a one, two, and two more zeros. Clown-nii's final mark is all of three points. Which Moldy and Iblis-nee seem to and vocally take great satisfaction in.

        "Well, I never said I was a great cook," Clown-nii huffs at them.  _"I_ at least didn't starve on my survival test as a child."

        "You just used your ridiculous umbrella to cheat by summoning your food!" Iblis-nee snaps back.

        Clown-nii arches a brow at her. "And your point is...?"

        "If you persist to act like a bunch of  _children..._ " Father leaves the threat hanging with narrowed eyes.

        They crease, although they keep sending each other pointed looks and messages via their eyes alone.

        Next up is Azzy-nii, who gets fifteen points and then Iblis-nee, who earns eighteen points. Beelzebub receives the highest score so far with twenty points, then Moldy and Amaimon-nii get the second-lowest rank with eleven. (It's clear that all of Moldy's food is under cooked -he was probably pressed for time. Like, really pressed for time. Amaimon-nii, for whatever reason, decided to add in wild mushrooms and other herbs that don't mix well.)

        Finally, it was my turn and I passed each chef a plate of mine with butterflies in my stomach. I'm not worried about Hasc -I know he likes my cooking- but the other chefs...I  _really_  hope I did good.

        Hasc sends me a reassuring smile before taking a forkful. "Well done, Prince Rin, your sweet meat is very tender, and with just enough sweetener. Although you could shred it better next time. I give you an eight."

        I beam. "Thanks!"

        The other chefs seem to be pleasantly surprised. It causes my stomach to do flips and I nervously await their judgement. I end up with another eight, a nine, a seven, and a  _ten._ Forty-two points. It takes me a a moment to absorb this information, but when I do-

 _"YES!"_ I cheer loudly and punch the air with my fist. My grin is so wide that hurts as I jump and hug Father's waist without a thought. "Yes, yes, yes! I win!"

        I hear Father chuckle as he places a warm hand on my back. "Yes, you did, Rin. I can't say that I'm surprised. What do you desire for your small favour?"

        I bite my lip, looking up at him.  _'Mm...'_ "Ah, can I invite Kazeko over as my guest? For my birthday party?" When I asked Yenzo, he said that Kazeko might not be able to come because she's just a commoner. That her mom shouldn't have even brought her to work in the first place. I think me not being able to have her over is  _stupid,_ because she's my only friend that's also a kid. And I don't know any of the other nobles' kids, either. They're probably stuck up, too.

        "I'm sure it can be arranged," Father responds, still with that amused twitch of his lips and glinting look in his eyes.

        I beam again. "Thank you!"


	8. Hatching Plans II

        "I see the target," I whisper.

        Next to me, Kazeko turns to where I have my sights on. She grins slyly. "Copy," she whispers back. "Ready the guns."

        We both raise our straws and press it to our lips, peeking over our hiding spot from the corner not ten feet behind our target.

        "One, two..." Kazeko mumbles.

        I ready my cheeks with air.

        "Three!"

        We both exhale sharply -causing the spitballs to fly and hit the target's head and back! I laugh loudly at the guard's ridiculous expression as he turns around, and shielding his face while Kazeko spits with a vengeance.

        "Prince Rin-!"

        "Eat this, jerk!" I yell gleefully and reload before blowing more balls of paper out.

        His face turns a  _lovely_ shade of red and purple as he sputters.

        "Yeah!" Kazeko agrees. A few short moments later we run out of ammo and she grabs my hand. "Hurry, Rin!"

        We both crackle as we sprint away from the angry guard. We stop and hide beneath a desk at a random and empty guest room. "Did you see his face?" I snicker.

        "Yup! It was so funny!" Kazeko wipes tears of laugh from her eyes.

        The guard  _totally_ deserved it! I've often overheard servants complain how mean and "handsy" he is with some of the maids while I spy on them. Even Kazeko has heard her mom ranting about his disrespect and how much she'd enjoy "gorging his eyes out and shoving them down his throat" a couple of times.

        "Who should we do next?" I ask. "Oh, oh! I know this really stuck up chef that's been giving Hasc some trouble. I think his name is-" I stop mid-sentence when someone knocks on the bedroom's door. For a second I fear that it's the guard, but then the door opens and Yenzo is there.

        A very stern looking Yenzo, but I can still see that he's at least a little bit amused despite himself.

        "Spitballs again, really, Young Master? Miss Kazeko?" Yenzo frowns.

        I shrug. "He deserved it."

        "Yeah!" Kazeko agrees whole heartily. "Even my mom said so!"

        Yenzo arches a disbelieving brow. If a brow can be disbelieving. "Your mother approved of this? Told you to do this?"

        "Well, no..." Kazeko trails off. "But I heard her call him a bad word. Lots of them, actually. My brother Peic swears that he wouldn't be surprised if he 'magically' turns up in a ditch soon."

        "Nonetheless, Young Master, Lord Satan is requesting your presence," Yenzo sighs.

        I shoot Kazeko a quick grin, which she mirrors. Yenzo must agree with how much of a jerk the guard is, or else he would've made at least Kazeko apologize. The only time  _I_ had to apologize was when we pranked the terrifying general. Not that we knew he was the general at the time, or was even aiming for  _him,_  though. He was simply the unfortunate soul that walked through that particular hallway that day.

        I perk up at the mention of my father. "Is he done with the boring meeting?" I assume.

        Today is finally the day that I do my flame test. On a live person. And then I'm going to fight -and win- against someone  _without_ my flames. Which I don't actually mind not using in the lest...

_-Smell of burning flesh, screams in air, blood pounding in my ears, pain in my head and arm and chest and back, bodies rolling away, something wet and slimy touching my cheek, unable to escape the scorching hot flames of-_

        I'd have done my tests earlier but Father had to postpone it due to an important meeting with some important people. I've been so nervous about the tests all day, when Yenzo first told me in the morning, and then when Kazeko saw me an hour after dinner she immediately planned this prank. It worked to get my mind off of it, but now...I swallow and fidget as I stand. Father made sure that the smallest dragon isn't to be killed until tomorrow. If I pass both of my tests today I'll be allowed to keep him, but if I fail...

        I shake myself.  _'No, don't think about it! I won't fail! The baby dragon is counting on me -I'm the only one who can save him!'_ I gather all of my courage as Kazeko offers a soft smile and squeezes my hand.

        "Don't worry, Rin, you'll be awesome!"

        I smile at her. "Thanks."

        "Miss Kazeko, I'm afraid you'll have to go to bed. There is someone waiting outside to escort you to your guest room. Sir, if you'll please follow me?"

        I squeeze Kazeko's hand one last time before doing as told. It's quite a walk to the training room from where we are.

        "D-Do you know who it is?" I ask Yenzo nervously, referring to my... _Partner_ in my flame test.

        "I'm afraid I have not been informed," Yenzo replies regretfully. "However you have my at most faith, sir. You have worked very diligently since you first came home," he tries to reassure me.

        His reassurance works some. He's right, after all. I  _have_ been working super hard! In fact, just yesterday I was able to bake a desert while working on my writing, and without burning even a little bit of it! Hasc said it tasted delicious! Father was pleased, although the same can't be said when he saw my penmanship...

        "You're right," I nod and steel myself. I still can't help but wonder who Father has picked, though.  _'It's got to be a criminal,'_ I muse.

        When we arrive at the training room Father is waiting with another demon. He...I realize with my gut knotting that he doesn't look like a criminal. He's skinny, more like with a just enough muscle and healthily lean and tall way, and not like the starved criminals I saw in the dungeons with sunken and hollow eyes. But then, neither was the criminal I fought in the arena.

_'Maybe he's new? Just got put into jail?'_

        He's got a big scar over his flat and pig-like nose, so...But then why is he wearing similar training clothes like my usual sparing partner does? The usual sparing partner that is  _guard_ in training that works in the castle?

        And -wait, is that  _Iblis-nee_  and  _Lucifer-nii?_

        It is. Sitting in a chair by the corner, Lucifer-nii is calmly lounging as Iblis-nee stands at his side and as they both watch me.

        "What are  _you guys_ doing here?" I blurt out in surprise.

        "Simply curious," Lucifer-nii smoothly answers with a tiny, polite smile.

_'Okay...'_

        "Rin, come here," Father commands from the center of the matt. I do, though not before sending a confused look when Father tells Yenzo to do the same.

_'Why...?'_

        Yenzo always leaves while I train with Father. What's going on? The maybe-criminal-maybe-guard is just waiting at the far wall.

        "When you are ready, cover your butler in your flames. We will wait twenty for minutes, and if you succeed then you'll move onto the combat."

 _'What.'_ I stare at Father in horror. My throat suddenly dry as his words slowly sink into me.  _'What. Yenzo...?'_ "No!" I protest loudly and quickly. "No -not- no, he-"

        Father simply arches a brow at my display.

        "NO!" I shake my head violently. I refuse! Not, not  _him!_ Not Yenzo! "I can't! I won't!" I continue.

        Father narrows his eyes. "No not raise your voice at me, Rin. You will do as I say -unless you no longer wish for the mabic?"

        "No. Not  _him,"_ I plea desperately. "Can't-Can't I do him?" I gesture wildly at the other silent demon.

        Father practically sneers. "Why would you do it with  _him?_ Just as your food, we must practice your flames on something you believe to have  _value_. Or else you'll never learn."

        "I do!" I argue, "I do care! I don't want the baby to die-"

        "Then begin," he cuts off icily.

        Helplessly, I finally force my eyes on Yenzo. I can't tell what he's thinking or feeling, though, because of his plank expression. Even his eyes are guarded.

        His stone mask breaks a bit, though, when he catches my eye. "It is alright, Young Master," he murmurs and steps closer.

        I can only step back and shake my head, my words stuck in my throat.  _'No, no, no, no it's not okay -no, I can't- why does it have-'_

 _"Please,"_ I beg Father, frustrated tears prickling my eyes. I-I can't do it. Not  _him._ Not Yenzo. Why can't it be a criminal? Why can't it be another twisted and cruel killer? Yenzo hasn't done anything! What if I burn him? What if -what I  _kill_ him?

        Father doesn't so much as twitch.

        Anger rushes through me. Why won't Father listen!? Why is he making me do  _this-?_ Can't he see that it's too much!? Doesn't he  _care_ that I could kill Yenzo!?

        "Good," Father comments silkily as his eyes pointedly stray to my hands. "Now let it spread to your butler and we can start. And stop your pointless crying. Focus."

 _'No,'_  I realize with a start. I stare at my hands that are covered in hot flames -something I didn't realize happened until now. No, Father  _doesn't_ care if Yenzo lives or dies.  _'But he knows that I do.'_ His earlier words of value replay in my head.

        Part of me hates him for it.

        Neither Iblis-nee or Lucifer-nii look like they're going to make a single move to help, either.        

        Yenzo steps closer again so that there are only five feet between us. With downcast eyes he quietly inquires, "If I may, my Lord?"

        Father's lips thin in displeasure, but he gives a curt nod in Yenzo's direction.

        Yenzo comes to crouch before me, gently grabbing my shoulders. "Young Master, I have my at most faith in you," he repeats his earlier words seriously. "You have come a long way since you first came here. This is no different than your normal training."

        "No it's not!" How can Yenzo  _say_ that? It's  _not_ like my normal training! I don't want to cook  _him!_

        "It'll be over before you know it," Yenzo continues in a soothing voice. "Remember those ice cubes that you practiced with? You made it so that they wouldn't melt. It's just that. Clear your head, focus, and everything will be fine."

        I inhale shakily. I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head no again, but at whom I don't know.

        "You can do it, sir."

        I force my eyes open to look over Yenzo's shoulder and at Father. He's still displeased and unmoving. He's not going to change his mind.

_-"Dad, where's Yukio?"_

_Dad sighs, rubbing his face tiredly. "Yukio had to go to the hospital again."_

_I frown. "Why does Yukio always go to the hospital when he gets a cold?" I ask._

_"Yukio's body was born weak, Rin. Illness hits him harder than it does you and me. But don't worry, he'll be fine in a few days, okay?"-_

_-"You're so short, Yukio!" I snicker._

_Yukio pouts. "I am not!" he denies._

_"Are too! I'm, like, a whole head taller than you are!"-_

        I bite my lip and look away.  _'I can do this. Yenzo believes in me.'_ I repeat this over and over again in my head, slowly gathering my flimsy courage again.  _'I have to do this.'_ Finally, I nod my head once.

        Yenzo squeezes my shoulders briefly before letting go and stepping back, back straight and hands clasped behind him.

 _'I can do this. I_ have  _to do this. Or-Or -don't think about it. Don't. I got too. I_ can. _Yenzo believes that I can.'_

        I swallow the lump in my throat and slowly, almost robotically, raised my hand and allowed my blue fire to spread. I can't help but glance at Father, who only raises his brows and gestures with his chin to keep my eyes on Yenzo. I do.

        I don't know how he can stand so still and so calmly, but I'm so very thankful that he is. I think I'll break if he shows any nerves or uncertainty.

_'Keep calm, keep calm...Sixteen, five, three, eight, twenty...'_

        It looks like Yenzo is sweating. Is it too hot?

_'Oh, God, it's too hot. I'm cooking him-'_

        He grimaces. Sweats even more. I can almost see the sweat stains!

_'No, no, no! Calm down, calm down! One, seven, thirteen, eleven, six...'_

        I don't think I've ever seen this. Sure, I've obviously watched Father control his flames before, but that's not the same. And I've only been able to really see  _myself_ covered in blue flames in a reflection, and that was only the one time when all my power was unlocked. It's a whole other thing to see someone else be a human torch. Yenzo kinda looks like a bonfire...

        Yenzo flinches ever so slightly.

_'No! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! Focus! Ice cube! Ice cube!'_

        The twenty minutes are positively awful. My eyes are glued to Yenzo, watching for any signs of  _anything._ I don't dare to move a muscle. Finally, when Father commands me to stop I almost crumple with the force of my relief. I will my fire to die, and Father inspects Yenzo closely for any burns, going as far as checking the clothing.

        When he finishes he turns around to face me. He smiles terribly, the end of his fangs glinting. He eats up the small distance between us and lifts me up on his hip, hugging me close. "Now, was that so hard?" he purrs. With the hand not keeping me up he runs his fingers and claws through my hair, scratching my scalp gently.

        "I-I passed?" I dare to look at Yenzo for confirmation.  _'I didn't hurt him? He's fine?'_

        Father's smile widens into a grin. "You did," he delightfully confirms. "You caused him to sweat a fair amount, but I did not see any burns or injuries. Well done, son."

 _'Oh.'_ The pressure in my chest finally releases as I'm able to breath freely again, and I bury my face in the crook of Father's neck. I can't even bring myself to feel proud -I'm just so utterly  _relieved_ and exhausted. I feel kinda light headed, actually.

        "Leave," Father orders Yenzo.

        Yenzo is quick to obey.

        Father holds me for a few more moments before putting me down. He raises my chin up with one claw. His bright blue eyes are dancing with pride. Pride, for  _me._ It sends a surge of warmth through me, despite any leftover anger I may have. "Remember your training, Rin. If you pass this last test the runt will be yours. Won't that be so nice?" he prompts silkily.

        That's right. My eyes find the stoic guard by the wall. I only have one more test.  _'I can do this!'_

        With Father's say-so, both the guard and I square off on the sparing matt. Just as Father opens his mouth, the door suddenly slams open.

        "We're here!" Moldy exclaims with cheer, Azzy-nii and Beelzebub-nii wincing and trailing behind.

        "Do you really have to be so  _loud?"_ Beelzebub-nii mutters while cleaning out an ear with his finger.

        Father's eyes narrow into slits, and any softness he had previously vanishes as he glares at Moldy and the others.

        They freeze immediately.

        "Astaroth, Azazel, Beelzebub. Did someone important die?" He questions coldly.

        "No, Father," Azzy-nii dares to answer when the other two don't.

        "Did your brother somehow escape his punishment?"

        "No, Father."

        Father bares his teeth. "Are there  _any_ emergencies that require my  _immediate_ and  _personal_ attention, then?"

        "Not that we're aware of, Father."

        "Then explain to me why you three have suddenly decided to  _barge in here?"_ He growls. "Why you so rudely interrupt Rin's test?"

        Azzy-nii bows at the waist, and the others follow. "Please forgive us, Father. We wanted to watch Rin's tests, however Astaroth was incontrovertible that they wouldn't start until now."

        "Don't you throw me under the-" Moldy begins to snarl at Azzy-nii, his head turned slightly as he remains in the bow, but Beelzebub-nii is quick to grind his heel on Moldy's foot.

        Father's upper lip curls into a slight sneer. "Stand next to Lucifer and Iblis, if you must, but make sure you don't interrupt again. And  _knock_ next time, or else I'll knock your heads in."

        They keep their eyes downcast as they walk pass us.

        Father's sneer disappears when he turns back to me. "Remember, Rin, that there is to be no flames. As soon as I see a flicker of it it's over, understand?" He reminds me seriously.

        I nod my head. As soon as Father gives the signal the fight starts, and I immediately lunge forward. The guard redirects my attack and instead sweeps me off my feet.

        I roll away and kick a leg away before he can trap me. He buckles slightly, and as quick as a snake I snatch a hold of his left hand and collar before pushing, pulling, and sweeping  _his_ legs and climbing on top of him after he's fallen.

        Unfortunately, he simply sits up and reverses our roles.        

        I bite the hand that dares to come too close in order to choke me.

        The guard's eyes flash as I hear growl that starts rumbling in his throat. I instinctively answer with my own growl and chomp  _down_ with all of my might. The taste of iron explodes in my mouth as the guard yowls and tears his hand away. Although it's not without leaving tiny pieces of flesh in my bloody mouth, which I spit in his face.

        I hear someone hoot and cheer, whom is also silenced soon after.

        The guard jumps away and I scramble to my feet before he can take advantage. He reevaluates me warily while cradling his injured hand.

        Adrenaline is pumping in my veins, lighting my blood on fire.  _'I have to win. If I don't the baby will die! I should probably avoid wrestling...Which leaves me with kicks and punches...Gotta get in close...'_  I bare my fangs, fists raised and at the ready, as we begin to circle each other. My vision tunnels as I try to watch for any micro-signs of his next moves.

        He moves in and I block a punch at my head, but miss the one aimed at my stomach. I double over and inhale sharply with the sudden pain.

_"Pooh-!"_

        More pain explodes when the guard's knee comes up and hits me square in the nose. I'm completely knocked over, black stars dancing in my vision, as I feel a big body hold me down and fingers wrap around my throat and start to squeeze tightly.

_'No! No, no, no, no-!'_

        "Stop!" Father's voice barks sharply right before the weight suddenly flies off of me.

        I sputter, slowly sitting up, rubbing my throat and trying to blink away the stars.  _'Wha-?'_ I stare owlishly up at Father, who is frowning.

        "I am disappointed, Rin. You used your flames when you knew you weren't allowed to."

        My heart stops and drops, both my eyes and mouth opening in horror. "No! That's not true! I didn't!" That can't be! There's no way that I-

        "Look at his hands, Rin," Father commands sternly.

        Despite myself, I do. The guard is across from me and at the very end of the sparing matt, with his hands red and raw and  _scarred._  As if his whole hands got burned by fire.

        No. No. That -I didn't-  _no._

_-"Get out of the way, four eyes!"_

_Yukio 'oofs' and falls down from the force of the older kid._

_I immediately stalk forward with a snarl, anger sparked. "Oi! You can't just do that!"-_

_-"It's simply the way of nature. The runt would not survive in the wild either," Bear says calmly, shrugging as if that's all to it.-_

        "Leave," Fathers says to the guard.

        I'm snapped out of my thoughts of Yukio and the baby dragon as the guard makes his way towards to exit.

        "No!" I explode and hastily scramble to hang onto the guard's shirt, stopping him. "Wait, please! Let me try again!" I demand desperately from Father.

        "You failed, Rin. You used your flames," Father replies mercilessly. "You may try to earn another mabic in fifteen days, however."

        "No! I don't  _want_ another one! I want  _that one!"_

 _"Do not_ use that tone of voice with me _,"_ Father snaps.

        "Father,  _please_ let me try again," I try again in a more polite tone. "It was an accident -I didn't mean to use my flames. Really."

        "You may try again in fifteen days," he repeats firmly. "Or not at all."

        Frustration and hopelessness claws at me. I continue to clutch the guard's clothes as I turn to Iblis-nee. "You saw him! He doesn't deserve to die just because he's smaller than the others, right? Right, Iblis-nee? Didn't you say he was cute?"  _'Please, back me up here-_

        "It's just a mabic, Rin," she says instead. "You heard Father-"

        "No!" I cut her off.  _'No, he isn't! No, no, no, no, no,_ no!'

        "Rin." Father stalks forward and pulls me away from the guard harshly by my arm. "Control yourself. Crease this childish behaviour at once."

        My anger spikes as I glare up at him. "Let me try again! Mom wouldn't want him to die either!"

        Father's eyes flash as his grip on my arm turns bruising, causing me to wince. "Do not use your mother against me," he warns with a low growl. "And if you can not behave then you shall be sent to your room.  _U_ _nderstand?"_

        I crunch up my nose and bare my teeth in response. It's not  _fair!_

        In a blink of an eye I'm suddenly being carted out of the training room and through the hallways, the iron grip of Father's dragging me.

        "Let me go!" I struggle fruitlessly.

        Father ignores me and my struggles until we're at the double doors that leads into my rooms. He promptly pushes me in with a hard expression. "Do not leave here until I personally come to get you," he commands.

        "It's not fair!" I argue, the image of the baby dragon fighting against his siblings in order to eat flashing through my mind. "I hate you!" I turn and run to my bed before I can see Father's expression.

        The doors close shut with a deafening final.

_'It's not fair!'_

* * *

        Yenzo slowly sits down on his bed, hands clasped in his lap in an attempt to control the shaking. It's gotten quite chilly in his room, and normally he would start up his fireplace by now, but...

        "Dear Ancients..." He buries his face in hands and exhales loudly. It had taken every fibre of his will power to stay strong in front of the Young Master, and by some miracle he thinks he actually pulled it off. A strangled and mirthless laugh escapes his lips. Yenzo knows he's only a servant -not a  _lowly_ one, mind you- but still a servant...He didn't want to do it,  _really_ didn't want to be the one to be 'partnered' with the Young Master for his test...Yet, what can you do when  _God himself_ orders you to do something?

        Yenzo will confess, he may have gotten a bit too comfortable in his relationship with the Prince. But Prince Rin isn't like anything he originally imaged...Nothing like the horror stories that King Astaroth or King Amaimon are rumoured to be when they were children and still lived With High Lord Satan. Yenzo doesn't know how they are in their own castles.

        The thing is, though, that the Young Master would be well within his rights to treat Yenzo however he pleased. Yenzo was required to swear his very life to the Prince when he first got assigned for the job, after all. And those vows  _are not_ light ones. Yenzo had steeled himself for any type of nightmare before he had first awaken Prince Rin. He expected a spoiled rotten kid, but the question that remained was what he'd do when he got angry. What he'd do if he felt slighted by Yenzo. He knew that Prince Rin had inherited Lord Satan's legendary Hellfire, so it wouldn't be out of the question if Yenzo would get burnt as a sort of 'retribution'. Daily, even, if it stuck Prince Rin's fancy.

        Perhaps he'd even get the punishments that's meant for someone else. After all, the other Kings, Queen, and Lord Satan may be out of the Young Master's reach, but Yenzo certainly isn't.

        Or maybe Prince Rin would prefer mind games more than anything, like the stories of the young and clever King Samael say  _he_  did. Although Yenzo would like to think he'd be able to stand his own against the intelligence of a child, no matter how naturally and ingeniously born.

        But none of that happened. Instead of a spoiled rotten and sadistic child, Yenzo received a  _frightened_ and  _caring_ child. He was so very torn up on harming the humans, utterly devastated over his kills even though they were below him, and his reaction to whatever Lord Satan had told him...

        Prince Rin never told him exactly what was said in the room, and it's really not in Yenzo's place to know, but he can still guess that it had something to do with the humans that took Rin as a babe and his human twin. Despite everything, though, the Young Master did not lash out physically in any of the times Yenzo came. He just retreated into himself and sallowed in his misery alone.

        He looked so very sad at the time. So very broken and alone. (It was the first time that Yenzo felt any sort of anger towards Lord Satan. For just  _leaving_ this small and gentle child to himself. However he'll be taking  _that_ bit of information to his grave.) Prince Rin is so much like his late nephew. Perhaps not in looks, but the way he never wishes to hurt another...An abnormality here in the high class...

_-"Uncle Yenzo! Look what I found!" he grins with crooked teeth, proudly holding his hands up so that Yenzo had see the small sigihac resting peacefully in his palms. His nephew seems to have a way with animals, and a strange knack for finding them injured. It isn't uncommon for Yenzo to find his nephew nursing the small critters back to health in his room. The mess always annoys Yenzo's sister, funny enough._

_Yenzo chuckles. "I see. Is she good enough to leave, then?"_

_His nephew bobs his head. "Yep! And I'm going to be an animal doctor when I grow up!"_

_Yenzo smiles down at the boy. "I'm sure you'll be great."-_

        He even wanted Yenzo, a servant no matter how high ranking, sit and eat at the same table as him! Yenzo simply had to try to help the Prince. But now he isn't so sure that introducing him to the mabics was such a good idea.

        Ancients, being covered in the Hellfire was completely  _terrifying._ It was so blistering hot that Yenzo wonders how the Young Master was able to stop the ice cubes from melting, and how his body isn't one giant bister right now. Scales or not. Did Lord Satan choose him as a warning? Has Yenzo over crossed his boundaries as Prince Rin's personal butler? Or is it only because Yenzo is the most deposable individual who still has 'value,' as Lord Satan said himself, in the Young Master's eyes?

        ...Yenzo needs a drink. A strong one. More than one.

        Yenzo doesn't understand  _why_ the young master cares so fiercely about the mabic that he's seen only once, doesn't think he'll ever, but he nonetheless hopes that this night hasn't been all for naught.


	9. Hatching Plans III

        Kazeko is waiting on my bed. She first had a big smile, but then when she sees my distressed state her expression falls. "Rin, did you-"

        I cut her off by running into her arms, sobbing. She hugs me back just as tightly. I don't know how long we cling to each other as I cry.  _'It's not fair!'_

        "Did you fail?" She whispers, once I've calmed down enough to snivels. My throat and chest still feels tight, though. And my eyelids are super heavy from crying.

        I slowly detach myself from her. I mutely nod my head. "I-I passed my fire test, though. I had to do it with Yenzo," I can't stop my voice from wobbling.

        Kazeko gasps, "Is he okay?"

        I nod my head again. "Y-Yeah. But then I accidentally used my fire in the combat test."

        "Oh...So then you're not going to get the mabic? That sucks."

        "It's not just that! I wanted the smallest one, the runt, because if I didn't then he'd be killed! Just because he's smaller! It isn't fair!" I rant and sniff.

        "Seriously?" she gapes. "But -did you ask Lord Satan for a do-over? You said it was an accident, right?"

        "I did, but he won't let me!" I growl and cross my arms. The more I brew over it, the more determined I feel. I can't let them do this! I can't let Father, Bear, and Bear's boss kill the baby dragon. I don't care what they say -they don't know how strong he can grow up to be!  _'And-And if they won't listen to me, then I'll just let the baby dragon show them!'_

        "What are you going to do?" Kazeko asks me curiously.

        "I'm going to save him," I declare.

        "How?"

        "I'm going to set him free."

        Kazeko gapes again. "How are you going to do  _that?_ Aren't there, like, a ton of guards and security?"

        "I'll figure it out," I say mulishly. "Are you coming? You don't have to if you-"

        Kazeko shakes her head. "No, no, I'm coming! Besides, you'll probably get lost in the castle without me," she teases.

        "You don't even know where the teleporting room  _is,"_ I roll my eyes, but warmth surges in my chest at Kazeko's immediate answer. Even Yukio would be more hesitate to tag along with this.

        Kazeko sticks her tongue out at me.

        And so, slowly and carefully, we leave my rooms. I half expect a guard to be stationed right outside my front doors, but thankfully that isn't the case. As we head towards the teleporting room we see servants, and the first time I froze before trying to hide, but then Kazeko snatches my hand and casually keeps walking pass the servant.

        "We can't be seen!" I hiss at Kazeko once it's clear, my pounding heart calming somewhat.

        Kazeko rolls her eyes at me. "My cousin says that if you act confident, then people won't questions you as much. We'll look super bad if we suddenly start sneaking!" Kazeko rebukes.

        I frown. "Does your cousin sneak a lot?"

        "He once stole a big mirror in plain sight," she grins, eyes sparkling with admiration. "Right from the store! With cameras! And he still has it in his room."

        "Wow."

        Kazeko nods in agreement. "Yeah, so act confidant! You're the Prince, and  _they_ have to listen to  _you."_

        "You're right," I say.

        "I'm  _always_ right," Kazeko scoffs playfully.

        "What about that time you-"

        "We don't talk about that!" Kazeko cuts me off immediately.

        I don't bother to hide my grin. "No,  _you_ don't," I correct her.

        Kazeko scrunches up her nose before turning away haughtily.

        I snicker.

        We pass a few guards as they patrol, but thankfully none of them stop or question us. Once at the teleporting room Kazeko and I share a look, before I approach one of the stationed guards. I rub my sweaty palms on my pants.

        "Uh, I want to go to the dra-mabics," I say nervously. Kazeko elbows my back. "And, uh, my friend Kazeko."

        The guard sizes Kazeko up before glancing back to me. "Does she have clearance?" he asks with a deep voice.

        My mind flashes to the red cards that Yenzo had the first time he took me to the dragons.  _'Crap.'_ "Um, yes?" I try.

        The guard raises a brow, waiting.

        I lick my lips. "I say she has clearance," I say with more bravos.  _'Act confidant, act confidant...'_

        The guard opens his mouth to speak, but then pauses and his eyes get glossy like he's seeing and listening to something other than us. It doesn't last more than five seconds, though, and he says a "Alright, Prince Rin" and allows us through. After taking the mandatory identification of course.

        Kazeko and I share a wide grin of victory.

_'Yes! It's working!'_

        It takes a  _lot_ longer than normal because the guard has to add in Kazeko. I swear it's an hour, but the clock on the wall at the reserve says it was only a half-hour. The wait is very nerve whacking, though. My ears are strained for anyone approaching, the fear of being discovered and Father finding us out at the front of my mind, causing me to fiddle with my sleeves and to tap my foot. I try to ignore the gripping dread, which makes me _so_  relieved once we inter the teleporting box without trouble.

        Kazeko blinks and shivers after being teleported.

        "It's weird," I agree. "But come on!" I grab her hand and tug.

        The place is eerily abandoned. There's no one in sight -no trainers, no cleaners, no runners, no nothing. Most of the lights are turned off as well, with only the bare minimum on to see one's path in the long hallways. I can't hear any noise that someone might make either, like the scuff of shoes on the floor or something. It makes my hairs stand on end.

        I can't help but notice how some equipment is laying around, or seems to be hastily shoved back in it's place, and that's only because it's  _never_ like that. This place is always super clean and organized -Bear says it  _has_ to be.

Something is obviously wrong.

 _'Where is everyone?'_ I don't think I've visited this late, but still... Shouldn't there be  _someone?_ Guards? Trainers? People late at work with papers? People to clean before the morning?

        "Something's wrong," I whisper to Kazeko, unease twisting my gut. I change our pace to a slow prowl, half expecting someone to jump out on us.  _'I wish I could see auras!'_ But Father says that I'm not ready for that -not for another few human years. If I could see auras then I'd know for  _sure_ if someone is here.

        "Where is everyone?" Kazeko asks quietly, glancing around.

        "I don't know," I admit. "Let's hurry."

        Most of the pens that we pass have dragons in them, some asleep and some awake that stare and watch us. Finally we're in front of the fire dragon family. The three babies are curled up, sleeping, against the mother who opens her eyes to stare. I still think it's more of a stink-eye, though. I don't know how  _how_ she can give stink-eyes. It's really good one.

        "How do we get in?" Kazeko wonders after a minute of appreciating the dragons.

        "I don't know," I admit again. "I know that there's a big door at the back of the pen for the mom to use, but I've never seen how it's opened."

        "Then let's look around," Kazeko says.

        We break apart and do. But there's not much to see or check. Inside the pen it's  _huge,_ obviously in order to hold the dragons comfortably, with a 'natural' little creek down the middle of the grass and a cave on the right wall. Something unbreakable and see-though blocks immediate entrance from the front, to the floor and to the very high ceiling. There's absolutely no buttons, keypads, or anything useful on the outside walls. Only a smaller door for the workers that's mockingly  _inside_ the pen on the left wall.

        We try to find our way to the back of the pen, but we just end up lost numerous times.

        "Maybe we can try the boss's office?" I suggest.

        Kazeko just shrugs, and so we go back to the fire dragon's pen before I slowly lead us to the office. I get turned around once, but we do eventually find the right door. I try the door, which we find is unsurprisingly but still frustratingly locked.

        "Do you know how to pick locks? Like in the movies?" I ask Kazeko hopefully.

        "Why would I?" she wonders with a baffled expression.

        I shrug dejectedly. "Don' know. But then how can we get in?" That same helplessness is beginning to claw and gnaw at me, building up and giving me a lump in my throat. It's rubbing my nerves raw and sparking my equally building irritation.

        "Maybe we can kick it down?" Kazeko offers.

        We try, but with no luck. I can't help but bitterly think that I could've in  _Assiah._ But  _everything_ is stronger here in Gehenna -not just the people.

        I see Kazeko's eyes light up with a sudden, and from her growing, sly grin, it's a brilliant idea.

        "What?" I ask eagerly.

        "Why don't you just burn the doorknob off?" she suggests smugly.

        I myself light up at her words. "That's right!" I exclaim as it hits me. "Why didn't  _I_ think of that?" I turn back to the doorknob and, rather gleefully, grab a hold of the knob before covering it and my hand in blue fire. I try my best to limit it to the knob, but some of the actual door around the knob's place is eaten before I kill my fire.

        Kazeko swings open the door and we enter the office. She checks the dresser draws while I snoop through the desk. I only find papers and bills that I don't understand. There was a picture of Bear's boss with two other people who look like him -family, probably- but other than that I can't find any maps, directions, or any kind of hint towards how to get in the fire dragons' pen.

        "Rin! Look!" Kazeko calls excitedly. I look up and see her holding up a single, silver key.

        "Where did you find it?"

        "Here." She pulls the painting right next to her off the wall a bit. "It was taped against the back."

        "Do you think it can open the pen?"

        "Maybe..." Kazeko replies. "After we find the door we can try. Have you found anything?"

        I shake my head, mad at myself. I have to save the baby dragon -but how  _can_ I when I can't even enter the stupid pen? It's so frustrating! "Maybe I can just burn some of the barrier?" I wonder.

        "But then the other dragons will escape," Kazeko points out logically.

_'...Crap.'_

        We stand in silence for a few moments, both thinking hard and reflecting.

        "...Maybe there's a trapdoor somewhere?" Kazeko muses weakly.

        "Maybe, but why would it be to the pens? Don't they lead  _outside?"_ I counter.

        Kazeko pouts. "I don't know!" She throws up her arms.  _"I_ don't make trapdoors -but they sound super cool. I bet there's some in the castle. Hey, maybe we can go search for them later!"

        Some time later, and we've turned the office upside down and have yet to find anything useful, aside from the silver key. Kazeko suggests that we search the halls again, and without any other lead I agree.

        We end up finding a lot of different rooms. Most of them are locked, with the silver key not fitting any of them, but I simply melt the doorknobs off. We end up in a lot of offices, a couple of filing rooms, equipment and storage rooms, and even one laundry room. Eventually, though, we finally stumble upon something useful: a security room.

        The security room was filled with screens, desks beneath the screens, chairs, and control panels. There weren't any windows, though I notice a trapdoor on the ceiling reading what I assume to be 'emergency.'

        "Cool..." I breathe, looking into one camera that seemed to look out in one of the underwater pens, holding a male water dragon.

        "Rin! Come look!" Kazeko's excited voice draws me away and to her side.

        "What?" I wonder.

        She points to one of the screens on the upper right, where the main focus is a tall, steel door with a label on it. I squint, trying to figure out it reads, but the only thing I can sure of is the number fifteen and the word 'mabic.'

        "What does it say?"

        "It says 'fire mabic entrance number fifteen!' Rin, this could be the door to the pen!"

        My eyes widen. "Really? But where's the door?"

        "I think it's by the laundry room," Kazeko supplies eagerly. "Remember that painting on the hall? I remember seeing it by the room!"

        I don't recall the landscape painting, right next to the steel door, although I'm pretty sure I can find the laundry room again. "Then let's go!" I take her hand and tug her.

        Soon enough she's the one leading me. We pass the laundry room and turn the right corner, though there isn't any landscape painting in sight. Uncertain, Kazeko turn us back and instead takes the left turn.

        "There it is!"

        Indeed, five steel doors down, there is a landscape painting and the door numbered fifteen.

        I share a wide grin with Kazeko. "Try the key!" I urge.

        Kazeko does, and surprisingly the door opens. I hold my breath as we peek inside -and see the sleeping mom fire mabic with the three babies.

        Kazeko quietly closes the door again. I grab her shoulders, and with my cheeks beginning to hurt, I grin and cheer: "We did it! Kazeko, we really found them!"

        I'm a bit confused when Kazeko's responding smile is more hesitant and weak. "Are you really going to in there?" she asks.

        I frown. "Yeah, of course I am! I gotta save the runt."

        Kazeko glances at the door nervously, licking her lips. "Yeah..Uh, maybe I should be the lookout? In case someone comes back?" she offers.

        I consider it. True, no one is here right now, but that doesn't mean it'll  _stay_ that way. She could warn me before anyone catches us..."Great idea, Kazeko! You can go to the security room watch for any workers."

        "Yeah," she sounds relieved. She hesitates before leaving, although. "Be safe, okay, Rin?" she pleads.

        I flash her a thumbs up. "Don't worry!" I try to dismiss her words with a laugh, despite the slow restlessness that's sinking in me. I watch Kazeko's unworldly bright orange hair disappear around the corner, leaving me alone in the hallway with only one last backwards glance.

        I swallow nervously, rubbing my sweaty palms on my pants, after the door swings open and I step inside. I close the door behind me, the 'click' echoing throughout the pen.

_'I can do this!'_

        Maybe.

        The mom immediately turns her neck to face me, stink-eye turning into a full glare. The babies shift in their sleep but don't wake up.

 _'No, no, I can! I gotta!'_ I shake myself, though the doubt still lingers, as the mom doesn't blink. I take a step forward, but freeze when the mom begins to growl deep in her throat. She bares her teeth -fangs longer, thicker, sharper, and deadlier than I've seen with others. She's  _so big,_ even twenty feet from me. She could easily crush me, with her claws, jaw, or even by simply stepping on me. She has such a strong and thick tail -it could most likely send me flying with a little swipe...Does normal fire still effect me, when with my own?

        Thinking of my blue flames, it reminds me of something that Bear once said:

_-"All the mabics are trained and conditioned, flawlessly, to heed High Lord Satan above all else," Bear informs proudly._

_"How do you do that?" I ask._

_"It's a very complicated technique, my Prince," he explains. "But the keys are aura -any sensible creature will give to such a grand and powerful aura like High Lord Satan's- and the Hellfire, which no one can steal or any lowlife mimic."-_

        Warily, watching and hearing how the mom's growl and snarl intensity increases and how she raises to her great and intimating height, I reach within myself and command my fire to cover my whole body but touch nothing else.

        The following reaction is, frankly, unnerving.

        The mom stops growling, losing her glare as well, and instead sits and is 'at attention.' Slowly, with my heart pounding against my rib cage, I walk forward. The mom doesn't make a move to stop me -only burns her gaze into my very soul as I get closer to her and her babies.

        I'm within reaching distance now. The baby girl -the closest one- rolls in her peaceful sleep in order to press against my legs, to get closer to my heat, I distantly assume. I almost lose my footing. My fire instinctively starts crawling on top of the girl, but I quickly snap it back and take a step away when the mom's snout pulls into a snarl.

        Her face relaxes back into her guarded but calm appearance.

 _'Right,'_  I swallow,  _'No fire on her babies. Still...'_

        Will she allow me to pick up the runt? To leave with him? I kind of have too, after all, in order to save him...Cautiously, I make my way to the smallest one without breaking eye contact with the mom. With stiff movements I crouch in front of him.

        "I'm going to pick him up..." I tell the mom as I stretch my arms out.

        She shifts; eyeing my actions with laser-like focus, but still doesn't stop me.

        Keeping mind to keep my fire to myself, I focus it to my torso only and carefully dig under to hold the runt.  _'Huh, I thought he would be heavier than this...'_ I have him in my arms now and I have to crane my head in order to see. A horn is making itself very uncomfortable on my collarbone. I stand up, still watching the mom just as closely as she's watching me. I freeze when the baby dragon shifts makes a sort of complaining-noise, but thankfully is lulled back to sleep. I sigh in great relief.

        "I'm going to take care of him, okay?" I tell the mom. "He's going to be okay."

        I only make it a quarter of the way back to the door when the mom suddenly lunges.

        I'm paralyzed with utter horror, eyes wide as my feet are rooted and I can only watch her great jaw open with a terrifying snarl, front legs outreached as she starts. But she doesn't make it even a single step before a huge, blazing blue fireball hurtles towards her and consumes her whole.

        It's her shattering, heart-wrenching shriek of pain that snaps me out of my shock. I drop the runt, faintly aware of him and the other babies yowls and distress. Then, after a few sickening moments, the fire dies out and the mom is left raw, hurt and panting on the ground. The baby dragons are fast to crowed her and whine. The girl turns to the right and growls in warning, obviously scared.

        I follow the girl's sight and see a furious Father, one palm upwards with another fireball floating a few inches above.

        "F-Father?" I can only gasp.

        He looks away from the dragon and focuses his glare on me. I regret speaking  _so much._ Father closes his fist and the second fireball is extinguished, and then stalks over to me.

        My feet are still rooted in place, and faintly, I think I'd rather face the mom again as Father stands before me, eyes narrowed into slits and his nostrils flaring.

        "What," Father demands tightly, " _Exactly_ were you trying to accomplish? Hmm?"

        I remain silent, heat creeping up my neck and head slightly bowed in shame so I don't have to look him in the eye.

        "Is your head so empty that you believed yourself greater than a  _fully grown mabic?_ A fully-grown  _female_ mabic with spawns of her own? You almost  _died,_ Rin, -and would have if I were not fucking here watching you! Now tell me; what exactly you hoped to accomplish in that foolish little head of yours!" Father's fingers twitch, as if he's longing to grab a hold of something.

        "I'm sorry. But-But I don't want him to die. It's not fair," I mumble quietly. Father snatches my chin and forces me to meet his hard gaze.

        "I am not in the mood, so you will  _speak up!"_ Father snarls, looming over me and causing me to feel so very small.

        I desperately wish I were  _anywhere_ but here. I swallow nervously, glancing away, and seeing how the mom is trying to limp away to the cave with her kids. Guilt eats at my insides with the sight. Father's grip strengthens and I wince, looking at him properly again.

 _"Rin,"_ Father growls.

        "I was trying to save him," I finally confess, fiddling with the hem of my shirt. "I almost had it. And it's not fair that the baby has to die," I can't help but add.

        Slowly, Father releases me and arches a fine brow. Though he still looks thunderous. "And what was your plan? Say you left with the runt -what would happen next?"

        "Uh, well, I was thinking about...Uh, letting him go in the woods?" It's not like I could keep in my rooms, although I did think about it.

        "So you would have it starve to death instead?" Father challenges darkly.

        "What? No!" I startle.  _'Why would Father think that! I said I was trying to_ save  _him!'_

        Father sneers, and somehow I feel like a complete idiot with just that expression. "You seem to have forgotten, Rin, that the runt is not old enough to hunt! Left by itself it would starve, if dehydration or another predator doesn't find it first!"

 _'...Oh.'_ With a sinking feeling, I realize that Father is right. I didn't think that far. I just...I was just thinking about getting him away from here.

        "I am  _very_ disappointed in you," Father continues harshly. "I told you to remain in your room until told otherwise -and then you directly disobeyed me! When I tell you to something, Rin, you will  _listen!_  Am I  _understood?"_

        I can only nod mutely.

        Father inhales, trying and failing to calm himself. "Kazeko will no longer be invited to your birthday-"

        "But-" Father silences my protests with a glower and raised hand.

        "-And you will not see her again until half a month. A  _demon_ month. Furthermore, your privilege to visit Yukio and Assiah is revoked for the same period of time. And, Rin, I  _will_ know if you disobey me on this. You will not like the following consequences."

        I don't doubt that I will, but the thought of not being able to see Yukio...It makes me angry and afraid in equal measure.

        "I shouldn't even allow the ball or festival in your honour to be held, however, the public has been preparing for some time now...Really, Rin, I expected better of you."

        I feel pressure build up behind my eyes, the heavy weight of Father's disappointment baring down on me, washing away my anger and leaving only shame in it's place. I try to wipe away my tears before they fall, staring down at my shoes.

_-"Really, Rin-" Dad starts, but then just sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. "First day of the new school year, and the teacher has already called me."_

_"I'm sorry, Dad," I sniff. "I'm real sorry!"-_

        "I'm sorry, Father," I say, voice wobbling. "I-I just don't want him to die! He doesn't deserve it! I promise I'll listen next time. Really."

        "Look at me when you speak," Father orders.

        I do, blinking rapidly in order to clear my sight. "I'm sorry," I repeat sincerely. I bite my lip when he doesn't speak for several moments.

        Then he sighs, crouching to my height. "You really care for the runt," Father comments, sounding a lot calmer now. "Why is that?"

        I shrug, not knowing how to answer him. "It's not fair. No one is giving him a chance."

        Father glances to my left arm, where the place he grabbed me earlier is beginning to bruise. Something flashes in his eyes -remorse? "While your planning and forethought leave much to be desired, you have gone to great lengths for the runt, haven't you?" he muses. "I didn't expect you to try to break in and steal it. And while I'm still a very about what you've done - _very_ angry, indeed- I  _was_ curious how far you would go. Which is why I told the guard to allow you and your friend entry, and ordered this place evacuated."

        I gape. "That was you? But-"

        "Did you not wonder what that?" Father questions me concedingly.

        I flush. "Well, yeah, but..."

        Father straights and I cut myself off. He seems like he's preparing himself for something. "I will give you one last chance to earn the runt, Rin, and  _only_ one last chance. However, if you fail this one as well there will be no other chances of gaining  _any_ mabic. Understand?"

        I nod rapidly.  _'A second chance? Really?!'_

        "We will redo the combat test. Although this time it will take place in  _the_ area, and you must kill your opponent in order to win. Without your flames."

        For a minute, my mind blanks. Father, seeing this, adds:

        "I will give you until tomorrow's dinner to decide. Now, let's retrieve your partner."

* * *

        I lay on my bed, staring helplessly at the ceiling. I don't know what to do. I almost wish that Father didn't give me a choice -that he just told me that I  _will_ be doing the second combat test. Because-Because now  _I_ have to  _choose_ , and I...! I just  _don't know._

 _-The roaring of the crowed, a terrifying leer and a long tongue running over sharp fangs, intense heat and my arm and my chest_ snapping,  _the sound of it echoing in my ears_ -

_-"It is either you or him, son. Remember that."-_

        But it's  _not_ just him or me -not this time- and I..! And I  _hate_ this feeling, this agitation and restlessness and helplessness that's slithering and festering inside of me. That's choking me up as  _the_ arena won't stop flashing through my mind, with it's cracked but thick and strong grey stone walls, the benches for the audience to sit on that surrounds it all high up, and the chained ceiling blocking any attempt of escape...

        A quiet, strangled sob is wretched out of me, I turning on my side and clutching my pillow tight and I squeeze my eyes shut, curling into a ball as if I can escape it all if I'm small enough.

        And yet, and yet I just  _can't._ I don't want to go in  _the_ arena again! I hate it, I hate it, I  _hate it,_  and it scares me and I wish I could burn it all down, just like I did to those humans and the criminal that was trying to kill me. But I  _can't,_ and I  _don't know what to do._

        Because the baby dragon doesn't deserve to die, and Father is making me  _choose._ Why is he making me choose?

        "Young Master?" Yenzo is at my bedside, worry giving him lines and causing his lips to turn downwards.

        I latch onto him, and Yenzo sits down to make it easier for us. "Yenzo..." I croak, the only thing I can make myself say,

        "I heard about your late night adventures," he says softly.

        I nod my head, which is in the crook of his neck. "I don't know what to do," I cry. "I don't want to fight in the arena again!"

        "Then don't," Yenzo replies. "Sir, there will be other mabics. No one has said that it  _must_ be the runt. You may take the time to train more, and then try again in a few human months."

        "You don't understand..." I whine miserably. He's wrong -it  _does_ have to be that one! It just has to be!

        Yenzo sighs, taking my waist and pulling us apart so that he can look at me properly. "Sir, may I ask  _why?_  Why do you care for it so much? You've only seen him a handful of times."

        I glance away, finding Yenzo's gaze too much, and rub my nose with the back of my hand. "I don't know," I mumble. "No one is giving him a chance...And-And it's like I'm the only one that cares. Just because he's small now doesn't mean that he's going to be weak forever..."

        Silence is stretched between us, when Yenzo doesn't respond.

        "What should I do?"

        Yenzo sighs again. "Forgive me, but I myself is unsure. You are scared of the arena, and I don't wish to see you fight, but you are also very determined to save this mabic nonetheless," he confesses tiredly. "Perhaps you should request King Azazel or Queen Iblis's council instead?"

        I eventually do so, but in the end I get conflicting advise. Azzy-nii thinks I should wait to get stronger before attempting the test again, like what Father promised right after the first one, but Iblis-nee declares that I should take what I want and kill the "filthy prisoner."

        Despite my slight unease, Iblis-nee's words actually stays with me more than the others:

_-"Rin, any criminal that you'll fight lost his chance of freedom as soon as he got up behind bars. No one escapes Father's dungeons once they enter. Not alive, anyways. Only the very worse are locked up here instead of the public jails -and really, why are you so worried about them anyways? They're vermin; not worth your considerations."-_

        That's about when Moldy walks in, and gives his own two cents. He proclaims, quite gleefully, that I should  _totally_ fight in the arena again. He says that he's "disappointed" to have missed my first one, and "would love to watch me slaughter another one."

        I don't stay long after Moldy arrives.

        Against Yenzo's silent disapproval I also go see the mabics again. This time the place is buzzing with people and activity, and I so wish it wasn't as I feel their oppressive and collective eyes on me. There's a trainer in the pen, and I watch them and the mabics interact as I try to ignore the whispers and looks around me.

        Bear's boss joins us, and with him even more curious eyes. Even though he's just standing beside me, he still manages to loom over me and make me feel small under his heavy and tense silence.

        It's as I watch the trainer wave a treat over the girl and bigger boy that I recall what I did to the boss's office last night.

        ...And suddenly everything is so much more awkward.

        "You  _are_ aware that breaking and entering, and trying to steal from here -trying to steal  _High Lord Satan's_ possessions- is treason, correct?" the Boss comments tightly.

        "The guard actually let me in," I retort under my breath, thoughtlessly.

        A muscle in the boss's jaw jumps.

        "I'll have you know that treason is punishable by  _death,"_ he adds darkly. "If you weren't High Lord Satan's son..."

 _'He seems really angry.'_ Though I kind of  _did_ ruin his doorknob and go through his office...Rubbing the back of my neck, I tell him; "Sorry about that. I...Didn't mean to go through your stuff."

        His right eye twitches and he hides his hands behind his back. "And the key?" he challenges.

        "I gave it to Father."

        The boss closes his eyes briefly before facing the mabics again. "You'd do well to forget about the runt."

        My head snaps up at his harsh words. "What?"

        "Some are simply born useless. Good for nothing but a good meal for another." Then he walks away, people moving out of his way as he does so.

        Burning anger lights inside of me, causing me to clench my jaw and my fists. I glare at his retreating back. The urge to set his pants on fire is strong.  _'How dare he!'_

        And that's when I decided -when I knew for certain. Despite my fear, despite the awful memories that stalk and linger in my sleep and even when I'm awake, Bear's boss words give me my ability to choose.

        Besides, it's just like Iblis-nee said: every criminal in the dungeons are there for a reason, and they're going to be killed sooner or later, right?

        Right?

* * *

        "Here."

        Father presses a very sharp looking dagger into my hand. It's not too light, not too heavy. The handle is wrapped with leather while the blade is so shiny and clear that it reflects my face. It even has a leash attached to the end for my wrist.

        Father pushes my bangs from my eyes as he tells me seriously; "Do not hesitate, Rin. Because I can assure you that  _he_ won't."

        Any words that I have are stuck in my throat, as without further ado he turns me around and my entrance to the arena is opened. Father pushes me in when I don't move myself, and I can't help but jump when the entrance behind me slams shut.

_'I can do this, I can do...'_

        It's exactly as I remember. Every crack, the dark spots on the tall, looming walls that can be nothing but dried and old blood, the chain ceiling above that only helps to trap me inside...The dirt beneath my feet and the bits of clothing, things littered here and there, and what looks suspiciously like a finger a few feet away...

 _-Pain exploding in my head, the taste of dirt and copper in my mouth, a crackle and something wet and slimy_ touching  _me, blue, everything is blue, the hungry eyes and something in me_ breaking _-_

_'I can't do this. I can't. I can't-'_

        "Oof!"

        I'm snapped out of my daze when a fist suddenly punches my chest and takes the wind out of me, causing me to fall on the hard ground. When a second fist starts flying towards me I instinctively raise my arms and kick out -connecting to something soft that's probably a gut. I quickly roll away and scramble to my feet.

        The dagger that Father gave me is dangling, and so I grip hold of it and raise it for a line of defence. The criminal -shorter and much more scrawny than the last one- and has a crazy, desperate look in his purple eyes. He doesn't waste time in attacking again, either. With a growl he aims for my face, and almost clumsily, I try to stab him though he recoils when I do.

        "Rip his tail off, little Prince!" I distantly hear Moldy cheer loudly.

        "Go for his throat!  _His throat!"_ Iblis-nee barks out.

        "Stop distracting him!" Azzy-nii snaps at the other two.

        "I'm trying to  _help-"_

        Everything after is a sort of... _Blur._ The criminal doesn't me any time to think and catch my breath, but at the same time I can still tell that he doesn't seem to have any formal training in combat. He's punching, pushing, snapping his jaws, clawing, and trying to take me down with almost lightning speed, but it's in the way that's wild, brute strength, unpredictable, and often ineffective despite his utter determination.

        Without the time to think, I can only rely on muscle memory and instincts. It doesn't take me long at all to only be able to focus on him. I duck, block, thrust, and kick. At one point he's gripping my forearm so very painfully that I feel my bones shift, stopping my strike, and then the air around us seems to become tense and oppressing. He bares his broken and chipped fangs, saliva dripping out of his mouth.

        I barely reel in my knee-jerk response to set him on fire and he aims for my face again, with his other hand. Instead I, with a great growl that I hardly recognize, snap my fist and hit him in the lower chest.

        He actually ends up flying away, dirt kicking up as he does, and with an unforgiving  _smack_ and  _crunch_ he hits a wall and crumbles.

        Body tense, adrenaline rushing through my veins, and breathing harshly I wait for him to get back up.

        He never does.

        Still, I stand there. Breathing quickly and shallowly, waiting.

        When a hand lands on my shoulder I swirl around and aim with my dagger without thinking. My strike is again blocked, but instead of an enemy Father is the one holding my wrist.

        "You've...Won...Put it...Well...Son..."

        I blink, trying to concentrate on his words that sound so far away, even though he's right here. He slowly peels the dagger from my white fingers, and I let him. I blink again when I finally notice that Father looks  _pleased._ His lips are curled in that terrible smile of his, and his hands are gentle.

        "Well done, son," he purrs silkily, eyes gleaming as he runs his fingers through my hair. "You've saved the runt, just like you swore to do."

        Father's comforting words wrap around me, and I sag. Relief is a powerful force. I hear many other footsteps come closer, but I pay them no mind as I turn my head to look at the criminal.

 _'He looks like a hairless cat,'_ is the first thing that pops in my head. At least in skin, hairless-ness, and his abnormally short tail he is. I can't see any whiskers or ears of any kind.

        As I continue to stare at him, though, I oddly don't feel any of the expected guilt or remorse. Only relief that it's finally over, and pride with Father's praise and how I've saved the baby dragon.

_-"It's either you or him, son. Remember that."-_

* * *

        "Sir, what shall you name him?" Yenzo asks me as the runt tears apart his meat, five feet away. Bear is here, too, watching the runt with an unreadable expression.

        Right now we're in one of the smaller pens so that the baby dragon can eat without his siblings getting in the way. And since he's mine now, and I have the responsibly to hunt for him and in order for the dragon to start trusting me, I had personally given him this meal and am allowed to be in the pen with him. As I will be for all the other meals in the future, until he can hunt for himself anyways. Bear is here with us for safety reasons.

        I grin up at Yenzo, pleased that he asked. I've thought long and hard about the dragon's name, and this morning I've finally decided on one. It's an awesome name, too, if I say so myself! "His name is Spitfire the Destroyer!" I answer proudly with my chest puffed out. "'Cause he's going to be stronger and destroy all the others! Just watch!"

        Yenzo's face does a weird, big twitch while Bear makes a choking noise behind me.

        I frown, glancing between them in confusion. "What? You don't like it?" I question.  _'But it's awesome name! Super cool sounding and everything.'_

        Yenzo smoothes out his expression, although his lips are still spasming. "It's very...Unique," he responds diplomatically. "I believe that he'll grow into it, Young Master."

        I beam happily.

        "However, why don't we just call him 'Spitfire' as a nickname?" Yenzo adds.

        I nod my head. "Yeah!" I agree easily. I had planned on it anyways.

        Yenzo and Bear share a look, Yenzo amused while Bear has a pinched, painful looking expression.


	10. The Fairest Of Them All

        "So, Azazel, what sin would you label Rin as?" Beelzebub inquires, moving his rider piece two squares forward on the game board.

        "Are we still in agreement with the others?" I smirk as I take my own turn, which results in Beelzebub losing one of his major players.

        Many centuries ago, when Samael had first gone to Assiah and was still a close member of this family, he had told of the human's 'seven deadly sins.' The three of us had a good laugh about it -still do, really, though without Samael as he's grown ever distant- and took turns naming everyone. Lucifer is Gluttony in elimination, for he's always hungry for Father's praise (Egyn's comment of him being the "official Ass Kisser" is, while rude, true) and more importantly his thirst for knowledge knows no bounds.

        Samael and Iblis share the title of Pride, with Samael always priding himself with his higher intelligence and 'games' and Iblis striving to be the very best at everything she sets her mind to.

        I myself am labelled Sloth in the majority vote alongside Beelzebub due to our rather laid back demeanor. (Though privately I think I fit Lust better. Just because I don't like to be obvious in my sexual desires or boast of my sleeping habits, doesn't mean that they don't exist. Unlike a few I can name...)

        After careful consideration between Envy and Wrath, Egyn is the former. It's painfully clear that he's never grown out of his boyhood jealousy due to the lack of Father's attention. (Really, we've all experienced the jealousy during our childhoods, some more than others. Egyn simply refuses to let go of his bitterness -and look where that got him now. It isn't the first time either, though last time was years ago and had hardly received such a harsh punishment for his disrespect. Going so far as to doom himself with being sent to the latest  _head torturer...)_  Instead, Wrath goes to Astaroth.

        Lastly, Amaimon is Greed. He  _can_ give Beelzebub a run for his money with Sloth, but for as all long as I can remember Amaimon has never quite grasp the concept of  _compromise_  or meeting halfway. Despite the millennium of him being a fellow King.

        Beelzebub gives me a dirty look after my turn. I chuckle, leaning back on my seat. Our game is going to end soon, though my victory is yet to be guaranteed.

        Indeed, after a moment of consideration, Beelzebub smugly knocks down my other rider with his own piece. I frown, leaning in to examine the complicated board as to see where I went wrong.

        "Of course," he answers my earlier question.

        I hum. "Well, if we're speaking honestly, I think the humans need to add another deadly sin for  _naivety."_

        Beelzebub snorts, shooting me an amused look. "Ah, the wonders of not only being the favourite, but also the only  _planned_  one," he comments dryly.

        I sigh, because it's true. Every single one of us, excluding Rin and his mysterious human twin, are all mistakes. 'Oopsie babies' if you will. After all, what need does  _God_ have for an heir? It's not like Father is going to do us the favour of dying anytime soon -or ever, really. Gehenna is  _extremely_  lucky to have so few immortals as it is. It certainly helps that none of my siblings or I's descendants are ever immortal themselves.

 _'I'm sure the filthy exorcists would be horrified if they actually took the time to ponder,'_ I think with dark amusement.

        "...What do you make of him, anyways? You were the first one to see him, yeah?" Beelzebub tries to act nonchalant despite the heavy question.

        I arch a brow at him while taking my turn. That's a rather dangerous thing to ask, here in this castle, and we both know it. "Rin himself, or how Father behaves with him?"

        "Both."

        I weigh the choices of answering or not, but in the end I can't see any true harm in doing so. "Well, my first impression of Rin was that he's very trusting. And stubborn," I add, remembering the hole 'church clothes' argument that I had with him.

        "Who isn't in this family?" Beelzebub mutters under breath.

        "He also has a temper, which can be just as nasty as our dear sister, Egyn, and Astaroth," I continue. "Though in a different way."

        "Does he explode like Egyn and Astaroth, or does he boil first like Iblis?"

        "From my limited experience, I'd have to say he explodes. But he can calm down  _much_ faster than them. And you've seen how sympathetic and caring he is."

        "I'm surprised that Father hasn't beaten it out of him yet. That arena match the other day was a rather pitiful attempt on his part," he muses. Then his eyes catch on my sail piece. "Oi! That's cheating -the sail can't be more than twelve squares away from the island!" He moves to touch my sail but I stop him.

        "No, it's  _twenty._ Twelve squares is for the Hobglin," I correct.

        He narrows his eyes at me. "You're not trying to pull a Samael on me?"

        This whole twisted family shamelessly cheats, for if you're not winning then you aren't cheating enough _,_ but Samael has a reputation even among us. He is the most sly one.

        "No," I scoff. As if I would do it such an  _obvious_  way. "Check the rule book if you want."

        The paranoid bastard does just that. "Fine, whatever," he huffs once he sees that I'm right. "Anyways, Rin and Father?" He prompts.

        "I'm not sure exactly  _what_ you're fishing for, Beelz. However if you're searching for reassurance that you're not crazy, then you can rest easy. You are not the only one that can see how... _Happy_ Father is around the boy, nor how lenient he is with him," I sigh.

 _"Lenient,"_ Beelzebub repeats with a snort and an undertone of slight bitterness. "That's one way of putting it. You  _did_ see his temper tantrum the other day, and hear about his nightly adventure, yes? If  _any_ one of  _us_  tried that, Father would have fried us alive!" he shudders. "He wouldn't have even  _considered_ giving us our own mabic to begin with. He still won't!" The words 'greedy bastard' are implied but not spoken. "Mark my words, Azazel, with the rate this is going the brat could actually get away with pulling Father's tail."

        "That's a bit much, don't you think?" I eye his latest move, immediately spotting an opening that he's left.  _'A trap? Seems too easy...'_

 _"_ Remember that time you dared to sneak into his chambers as a child?" Beelzebub asks dryly. "Or that time you moved that small settlement back when you were a fresh King, without Father's permission?"

        I tense at the unpleasant reminders, and glare at the smirking man across from me. "Don't," I warn with a hiss, making the air around us crackle. "Why do  _you_ remember that? Those were millenniums ago! And besides, those aren't the same as what Rin has done."

        Beelzebub simply shrugs and replies, "Your turn. Although, Amaimon being late for a second time to that Veesya celebration -what, about two decades ago- is about the same to Rin's night adventure. Amaimon forced Father to wait over an hour out in public, and so after the celebration he cut off Amaimon's legs and slowed down his natural healing speed. I'm pretty sure his legs didn't fully grow back until thirty-five days after."

        I can only shake my head at Beelzbub's long memory. Most make a lot of harsh judgments on his sloppy attire, drinking habits, and lazy demeanour. But then those people usually don't get the chance to see how truly sharp he is -not until they screw up or irritate him enough that he gets off his lazy ass to do something about them personally, that is.

        The next several minutes is spent in silence, the only sound being the steady thump and click of pieces moving. I muse over Beelzebub's words. It's very true that Rin is continuously getting away with things that not even Lucifer or Iblis would be able to.

        Lucifer has always tried to please and be of use for Father to his utmost capabilities, his organization in Assiah in particular coming to mind, and I have a theory that it's not just the hero-worship that he's never grown out of. You see, Father had not actually gained total power over Gehenna at the time Lucifer was conceived. Father had been young and was trying to claw and slaughter his way to the very top, piling bigger mountains of corpses than his enemies. Father could have abandoned Lucifer as an infant; many in that era would have without a second thought. Lucifer was not in any of Father's plans, and having such an utterly defenceless member in your group is only a glaring weak spot for Father. (None of us are insane enough to presume it to be mercy on Father's part. 'Mercy' is not a word in Father's vocabulary, and certainly not in anyone else's during those warring centuries.) Yet Father still kept Lucifer, and so Lucifer's entire survival depended on Father's whims. Of course Lucifer would do absolutely  _anything_ and  _everything_ to stay in Father's good side. That devotion to Father has lasted strong this far, and I highly doubt it'll ever disappear.

        Iblis wasn't born during wartime, but then she's always been different than the rest of us from birth. If for the simple fact that she is the only female, and inherited the closest thing to Father's own power before Rin. She and I had grown up together, actually, with I only being nine years her elder. For as long as I can remember she's always had that inner fire in her, and no, I'm not simply speaking of her domain, and that unquenchable hunger to be  _stronger, faster, better_  than anyone else. Even when she was just beginning her training, she's had that desire to tear apart her enemies in a devastating, final manner. It's different than Beelzebub's quiet but cold calculations, Samael's teasing and infuriating smirk as he dances around people, slowly shattering their wills into teeny tiny pieces with only his silver tongue, or Lucifer's steady but chilling killer intent as he stares you down in that terrifying, detach way of his, so much like Father.

        It's not quite like Egyn, Astaroth, Amaimon's miles wide sadistic streak, either. Iblis's emotions don't control her like they do Egyn, and her bloodlust doesn't consume her unlike Astaroth. And, well, Amaimon...I've always suspected that there was something wrong with his caretaker as a young child. A couple screw loose that somehow passed onto Amaimon.

        Ah, but I'm getting sidetracked. The point is that Father  _is not_ an affectionate person. Never was. He isn't the type of parent that consoles their child, the type that would take time out of their work to simply sit down and spend time with their kid without an alter motive, the kind that  _loves_ -unconditionally. He only paid enough attention to us to make sure that we became strong and deadly enough to rule, and most importantly under _his_  thump. I think that, growing up, I was lucky if I saw him more than five times a month.

        He always hired the very best to teach and train us, of course, all that was undoubtedly loyal to him. He gave us everything we could need, ravish shelter and comfort, food -unless we were being punished for something, of course. But never  _love._ Sometimes, with the case of Lucifer and Iblis, he was a bit more interested in them. Favoured them and was more involved in their upbringing. But that's all.

        I used to bitter and angry about it. Back when I was a foolish boy and inexperienced new adult. Used to be poisoned with my envy and jealousy like Egyn. But I've long since made peace with Father's nature. In fact I'm thankful that I've always been 'just another one,' for Father's special interest in someone can never mean well for them. I'm content to be left alone to rule my own lands for the majority of it.

        Rin...Well, to be perfectly honest Father's treatment with Rin more than unnerves me. Because I don't recognize the man that wears my Father's skin when Rin is around. I know Father's cold and detached manner expertly, I'm familiar with his ranging wraith, his merciless calculations and greedy nature. Yet, when he's with Rin...

        Father is not a loving or affectionate person. So then why does he touch Rin so tenderly? Why does his hard and unforgiving eyes soften when he looks down at Rin, and wrap him in his arms? Why does he tolerate Rin's tears and childish anger? Why did he care enough to spend time on Rin's birthday and order everyone else to be present, and actually goes along with Rin's whims? Why does he  _apologize?_

        It can't be just because Rin is the only  _planned_  one. Maybe it has something to do with Rin's human mother, but I don't think that's  _all._

        (And isn't the human mother another shock? A human that could  _actually_ survive Father's Hellfire? An exorcist that actually  _allowed_  Father to possess her? It's unheard of, unbelievable, but yet...I don't know anything about the crazy human girl besides that she could withstand Father's flames and allowed him into her body, but I do remember what happened after she died at the hands of her fellow exorcists. The foolish humans think that their so-called 'Blue Night' was bad? Ha! That had been  _nothing_ compared to the pure wraith and heartbreak that the whole of Gehenna suffered under the following months at the hands of Father. The whole world had shaken then.)

        I don't know what makes Rin so special, and while the fact that Father actually  _wanted_ him and that Rin has the Hellfire certainly helps a lot, I can't help but feel that there's something  _more._  I just can't put my finger on it.        

        Nor I'm I entirely sure if I  _want to._

        "I heard Father telling the Golden Boy that no matter what, is he to use little Rin in his experiments and that organization of his," Beelzebub drawls, as if commenting on the weather.

        I almost didn't catch it, he says it so casually, yet I do and my head snaps up. "Excuse you?" I say, shocked. Maybe I shouldn't be, considering everything, but I am.

        Beelzebub hums. "Lucifer wasn't too pleased at that. Rin is a perfect vessel for Father, and if he could recreate whatever makes him and his human mother immune to Hellfire..." he trails off meaningfully.

        My mind races with the possibilities of that. "Does Samael know?" I ask. Because Samael is the only one of us (Rin not counting) that actually  _cares_ about Assiah. And, honestly, it's baffling that Father is refusing the chance to have access to Assiah -the one place he can't go. Not for more than a few seconds in any case.

        Beelzebub shrugs. "If I myself know? Probably."

        "What about Rin's human twin?" After all, while he may be a mere human, so was the mother.

        He pauses. "The one that was kidnapped by the Paladin? Isn't he the weak one?"

        "I only know that he isn't demon enough to survive Gehenna, which is why Father is allowing the Paladin to keep him."

        "I call hoblinshit on that, by the way. No way can I see Father  _allowing_ the fucking  _Paladin_ to raise his son, if his treatment of Rin and that show with Egyn has any say," he clicks his tongue and moves his rider ten squares. "The exorcist probably pours holy water down the brat's throat every morning in order to 'cleanse' him or some other nonsense."

        "Are you implying that Father  _can't_ get to the other twin if he wants to?" I arch a brow testily.

        Beelzebub glowers. "That isn't what I meant, and you know it. Anyways, I don't believe Lucifer is allowed to touch him either. You should've seen his face after Father left him," he snickers. "It was like he bit into a cross!"

        "I win."

        "What are you blathering about -oh, get out, you smug bastard!"

* * *

        I think the last time Gehenna celebrated one of our birthdays was Astaroth's twentieth one, in which he stopped aging afterwards. (Speaking of immortality, I can't help but wonder about Rin. He ages rapidly like a normal human, but will he stop after puberty like the rest of us did? And what will Father do if he doesn't?) The festivals are more or less than I recall them to be.

        Father has also let Egyn off his punishment, seeing as the man is sandwiched between Iblis and Beelzebub. (Not out of choice, either. But everyone must line up in the order of the hierarchy, the exception being Rin who on Father's right. I don't think Father would have even let up on his punishment now if the festival isn't a public affair.) I half expected Egyn to be missing some limbs, covered in old and fresh wounds in aplenty, but I suppose Father had to let him heal at the normal rate as to not raise questions for the nosy public. Still, Egyn has yet to glance in Father's general direction, and earlier when Father passed him Egyn flinched rather violently.

 _'Egyn will be back to his irritating self in a few years. Smarter,_   _too.'_

        The parade starts at one -which is to say in less than ten minutes- but before it can Father and the birthday boy must first 'bless' it. There are loyalists, there are servants, and then there are people who devote their entire lives to worshiping the royal family out of free will.

        Humans have many religions, such as the disgusting Christianity, Jewishism, Muslism, and  _many_ others. However, here in Gehenna we only have  _one;_ Zewicura. And that's because, unlike in Assiah and with the humans, everyone here knows without a doubt who actually created them in the first place. Everyday they are reminded that the royal family are  _immortal,_ and that Satan is  _God_ and my siblings and I are  _demigods._

        None of us, aside from Astaroth, actually force Zewicura on our citizens though. But many pray, sacrifice, participate in their made-up rituals (actually  _believe_ in their long ago made-up rituals), put rules and commandments on themselves, and build temples in our names nonetheless. Personally I can't care less about the people who freely dedicate their lives to it, but I know it amuses Father to some extent.

        Seeing Rin, dressed more smartly than ever, shift awkwardly when the Head Picort stares at him in balent wonderment is amusing. (The Head Picort must be one of Egyn's kin, with his almost transparent skin and long hair that looks like flowing water if you stare too long.) The Head Picort, dressed in his religious azure, black, and white robes first bows to his knees and holds up the golden stick to Father. After Father touches it the Head Picort kisses Father's shoes before shuffling to do the same for Rin.

        Rin glances at Father with an uneasy expression, but still hesitantly touches the golden stick after Father silently prompts him. I have to bite my cheek in order to keep a straight face when the Head Picort kisses Rin shoes. Sometimes I forget that Rin was held captive in Assiah for the first six years of his life, and therefore doesn't know all of the customs here in Gehenna.

_'The things Zewicals will do in the name of their religion...'_

        The Head Picort stands, eyes downcast respectfully, and bows a little again before facing the massive crowd on the streets. With a grand smile he announces:

        "Citizens of Gehenna! Here we stand today to celebrate our Prince's day of birth, whom was taken from us until now by the humans!"

        There's a loud roar of angry and displeased people from all shapes and sizes. The Head Picort waits a few moments before raising a hand and the crowd gradually settles down.

        "But Prince Rin is thankfully here with us now, the humans having been punished for their great insult! And so with our High Lord Satan's blessing, let us commence the festivals!" The Head Picort raises the golden stick before swishing it down once, and then starts the cheering and the music.

        The parade is big and colourful. The floats come in all different shapes and sizes, some having magnificent dancers with them and fire, some not. One of them was even in the shape of Rin's face. I'm pleased to see that Rin is enjoying every moment of this.

        I see Beelzebub call a servant forward for a drink, and before the servant can disappear I place my own order.

        "Father, what's that?" I hear Rin ask Father, pointing at the very large pile of gifts that's a little east of our 'VIP' booth.

        "Those are all the presents that citizens have given you," Father answers with a small quirk of his lips.

        Rin's jaw drops the same time his eyes bug out. "That's all for  _me!?"_ He exclaims loudly, drawing more than a few curious eyes.

        Father chuckles and ruffles Rin's hair. "Of course, son. You  _are_ their Prince, after all. You didn't think they wouldn't get you anything?"

        Rin blushes bright red. "Ah, w-well, they're already throwing me a parade..." he stammers out.

        I can't help but inwardly cringing away from Rin's response, feeling phantoms from my own slips as a young child. A royal doesn't  _stutter_ or  _blush-!_ But instead of Father narrowing his eyes dangerously and a promise of discipline behind closed doors, Father just -actually  _laughs_  and messes up Rin's hair again. As if Father thinks that Rin is being  _cute._

        I can't tear my eyes away from the two's interaction. Rin pouts and  _glowers_ Father, which only serves to amuse him further. Truly, if I'm not seeing this with my own two eyes, and I haven't seen how possessive and unnaturally... _Soft_  Father is with the boy, I would never believe this change to be possible.

        I'm far from the only one, either.

        The parade lasts for two hours, after which citizens will spend more hours at the game and food booths at the city central. I believe that there's even a show going on tonight, however at that time the ball will be in commence. I believe it starts at eight o'clock until midnight. Every noble is invited to attend -though it's not anyone is going to  _refuse._

        Thinking back on Rin's fight in the arena the other day, and the lengths he went to for that mabic, I wonder how he'll react during the Old Ritual that will take place later on...


	11. Demonic Celebrations

        "Young Master, you have dirt on your face," Yenzo scolds.

        I'm a bit surprised when my hand is lightly slapped away and Yenzo wipes my face himself with a handkerchief, but oddly pleased nonetheless. Yenzo has been distant and kinda cold these past few days -I think this is the first time he hasn't subtly moved out of the way to avoid physically touching me. Even the dreadful ruler hasn't made an appearance since my fire test.

        "Sorry," I mumble automatically.

        "Yes, well, please do avoid making a mess of yourself from now on." Yenzo's tone is stern, however the slight curl of his lips betrays his amusement.

        "No promises," I reply cheekily.

        He only sighs. "Do you remember what you must do concerning the Qougekia Ritual? We shall have to leave earlier than the others, in order to prepare you-"

        "I remember," I interrupt with a roll of my eyes. Yenzo really does worry too much.

        Two days ago Father explained the different Old Traditions and Rituals to me -and they're so old, in fact, that only us royals and a couple of extremely traditional clans still do it. The Qougeki Ritual in particular became a thing during Clown-nii's young childhood years, and I can't even remember how many digits Azzy-nii told me  _he_ has. (Only that's it's a  _lot.)_

        The Qougekia Ritual is solely for birthdays. What happens is that there's a big bonfire, and Heads of important and wealthy clans (which is to say the Lords and Ladies) each offer a live sacrifice. I personally, since the ritual is being held in my honour, have to kill each of the animals and throw them into the bonfire. The idea is that each sacrifice symbolizes something, like strength, beauty, smarts, cleverness, etc. Burning them is supposed to 'give' me the following characteristics for the following year.

It's kinda similar to the Desquu Ritual, which is for the New Years'. Only in the Desquu it's for  _everyone's_ benefit, and instead of sacrificing animals you have to give up something important to  _you_ , like a family heirloom, a picture of a close but dead family member, or even something that you've had since you were a baby. The superstition is that you'll somehow get stronger and/or lucky in the new year once you've collectively burned them. (I don't know why; the tradition/ritual doesn't make any sense to  _me._  I mean, why would you willingly burn the stuff you care about?) And unlike the Qougekia there's a special song and two dances, one for before everyone burns their item and one for after. The Desquu doesn't demand traditional robes either, though there is still face and body paint.

        Anyways, I didn't like the sound of the Qougekia Ritual at all, when Father first informed me of it. I told Father as such, but when he started lecturing about how  _normal_ it is to kill animals for both demon and human's benefit I couldn't really argue. He went into depths about what exactly humans do to animals before they kill them for food, like a nursing cow's calve being killed in front of the mother just so that the cow will continue to produce milk.

 _-"Do you believe that what we do is_ worse?" _Father challenges with an arched brow.-_

        (I stayed silent. He's right; it's not.)

_-"Besides, Rin, you've already killed both demons and humans alike," Father reminds me with a smirk. Here he ruffles my hair, nails scratching my scalp that sends tingles down my spine. "Are you telling me that you can slaughter them, but not a few idiotic animals?" he jeers.-_

        I got mad at Father -mad at his words, because I hate that he's right again. It doesn't make much sense for me to be able to kill the criminals and the humans - _people_ \- but not the animals. I know I can do it, knew it then without having to search too deep within myself. So in the end, I gave in but stubbornly told Father that they can't be  _babies._  I refuse to it if the animals aren't fully grown or better yet old. Father agreed with obvious amusement.

        Yet before the ritual and even the ball, there's a fighting competition being held in my honour. How its organized is that three special fighters are chosen in each of my siblings' lands to participate, and in rounds they fight in an arena. The winner gets a ton of money, and Father says that when I'm old and skilled enough that I'll start fighting the starring winner for the final battle. All of my other siblings did it until they finished puberty, which is when everyone stops celebrating their birthdays.

        (The fact that they don't have birthday parties anymore sounds rather sad to me.)

        "There. Now we mustn't forget your crown, sir." Yenzo tucks his handkerchief back in his pocket before carefully grabbing said object off the red pillow on the table. (I put it back after the parade an hour ago.)

        The crown is rather simple and light, made out of a rare almost-black green metal I think is called Teefe. Teefe is found in the deep depth's of Gehenna's inner earth layers. The metal is said to be one of the strongest to ever exist though as scarce as it is. Equally rare are the shinning white and blue jewels that litter on the sides. But that's as complicated as the design goes, aside from the dips and points that goes all around the top. I rather like the simple look.

        Yenzo gently places my crown on my head, and now we're ready to meet with the others. Everyone but Father and Amaimon-nii is waiting at the front entrance. They each of their own crowns -one that are fancier and obviously bigger than my own- which like they did at the parade, and with their personal butler slightly off to the side.

        The butlers' each have a different coloured tie. Yenzo earlier explained that they wear them because they aren't native to Father's lands, and so the servants that  _are_ will easily be able to know their rank (and whom they belong to and what country they represent) when not next to their ruler. When I asked why  _he_ always wears his bright blue tie, Yenzo had merely twisted his lips and admitted to not having a lot of confidence in some people's intelligence.

_-"I simply do not wish to leave any doubt," he answers with certainty. "It is a great honour to be able to personally serve you, Young Master. That is why I wear this tie with pride everyday."-_

        Later on, when I don't think Yenzo thought I could still hear, he'd muttered to himself how he'd like "Pizi and Wackgo to see him now" with a pleased look on his face.

        I don't think Yenzo and this Pizi and Wackgo get along very much.

        I remember Azzy-nii's butler with his purple tie from my second day here in Gehenna. The only other one that I recognize is one of the four females; the stoic and crimson skinned woman with bat-like ears, fiery wings and a light brown tie, who works for Iblis-nee.

        "Are you excited?" Azzy-nii asks with a smile when he notices me.

        I nod my head with a smile of my own as Moldy taunts Clown-nii:

        "I bet eight hundred mollnos that my fighters will completely trash yours!"

        Clown-nii raises his brows in mock surprise, smirking wickedly. "Oh~?" He opens his mouth to add something further when Iblis-nee interrupts with a sneer:

        "Do you even know who your fighters  _are?_ Or is that just another thing you push onto your Proxy King?"

        "Of course I do!" Clown-nii clicks his tongue.

        He is answered with squinted eyes and even a disbelieving scoff from Iblis-nee.

        Clown-nii sighs as if their distrust wounds him. "Now, why is everyone picking on  _me?_ Dear Lucifer is in Assiah just as much as I am."

        "That's not true," Lucifer-nii rebukes calmly but firmly. "I do not have a Proxy ruler, nor do I neglect my lands. And what I do in Assiah is for Father's and everyones', both demons and humans, benefit."

        Egyn's face crunches up in great disgust, mouth opening to spew something surely nasty to Lucifer-nii, but at the last second he glances to me. He promptly snaps his mouth shut and turns his head away with a hard expression.

        I'm wondering about Egyn's curious reaction until it's forgotten and replaced with Father and Amaimon-nii's arrival. Behind them are two more butlers.

        I've met Father's butler, Sir Stick In The Mud (I can't recall his actual name) a few times. Every time I see him he's always frowning, stiff, and displeased about  _something._ I've never witnessed him smiling, laughing, or even the twitch of his lips like Yenzo and Father sometimes do when they're mildly enjoying themselves. One time when I was exploring the castle, I had come across a locked and mysterious door on the lower levels. Sir Stick In The Mud found me trying the door and dragged me away before lecturing me about "entering places I'm not permitted to be" for a full  _hour. (_ Okay, maybe it wasn't a complete hour. But it sure felt like it!) Then he went and tattled to Father about it! Which made me suffer through  _another_ scolding! Now, whenever he comes across me (without Father or one of my siblings around, that is) he gives me this  _look._ As if he caught me snooping again or if he shows his displeasure hard enough my hands will bleed red!

        I mean, I haven't stopped exploring but, that's not the point!

        Yenzo is a  _much_ better butler than Sir Stick In The Mud. I'm glad that he wasn't chosen for  _me -_ he sucks the fun out of everything!

        I told Yenzo as much (and the nickname of course) and he actually  _snorted,_ causing a tiny bit of his drink that he had been sipping to trickle down his nose.  _That_  caused me to choke on my own laughter, on the floor and with my gut clenching in painful delight, without remorse.

        "Are you ready, Rin?" Father asks me.

        "Yup!"

        The three 'cars' that we use are rectangular like the ones in Assiah, but that's where the similarities end. They're black, slick, and polished looking with dark glass acting as the high roof like domes. And they're  _hovering,_ like what you see in futuristic movies and comics! But I can't see any handles or doors...

        "How are we supposed to get in?" I wonder curiously.

        My answer comes a second later, when the domes peels/slides away into itself until it disappears. Kinda like the normal windows in the cars in Assiah do, I guess. Comfortable looking grey chairs are revealed on the sides, leaving the middle space of the car empty. There's a section at the front that's still covered, with a wall separating it and the rest of the car.

        "Is that for the driver?" I question, gesturing to it.

        "Yes."

        The servants pile into one car, which leaves us to split into the other two. I blink in mild surprise when Father grabs me by the scuff and sits me down next to him. Lucifer-nii takes the other side of Father and Iblis-nee follows closely behind. I notice Egyn trying to seat himself in the other car before Father calls out to him:

        "Egyn, come sit here," he orders, an unkind glint in his bright blue eyes.

        Egyn stiffens, shoulders tense, pausing while his fingers curl into fists. He slowly turns to stare at Father with an unreadable expression. For a second I think he's going to refuse, but with a jerky nod he climbs in.

        "Lucifer, make room for your brother," Father drawls, still not looking away from Egyn.

        "Father?" Lucifer-nii questions, glancing between the two.

        Iblis-nee bares her teeth at Egyn, but this time with obvious delight.

        "What?" I blurt, confused n whatever silent exchange is going on. I'm ignored though. This seems like an 'adult thing' and it's annoying.  _'Azzy-nii would have told me,'_ I complain to myself.

        "Now," Father commands more firmly.

        They trade places, with Egyn on Father's left and sitting so still and tense that I can  _feel_ how uncomfortable he is. The domes slide back on and the cars start -eh, driving? Hovering? Moving?

        "Did you enjoy the festival, son?" Father asks Egyn sweetly.

        I can't help but shudder and pull a face. That 'sweet' tone that Father just used sounds so very much  _wrong_. Even more than his smiles. "Don't say it like that," I tell Father bluntly. Everyone's eyes snap towards me. Heat creeps up my neck and I shrink a bit. "What?" I demand.  _'Why is everyone looking at me like that? What did I do?'_

        "Say it like what?" Father arches a brow, a bit peeved.

        "Like, all sweetly. It sounds  _wrong_  when you say it."

        Father smirks, the  _"I know"_ silent and hanging in the air. He turns pointedly back to Egyn.

        "I enjoyed it, Father," Egyn finally grits out after a tense moment. "Thank you for allowing me to attend."

        Father hums. "Well, I wouldn't want you miss out on Yuri and I's son's first birthday," he purrs.

        Egyn's expression doesn't even twitch.

        I decide to look out the window and ignore the others. The grey sky is clear and without any red clouds. Even though I've already seen the heart of the city, Voun, during and before the parade it still amazes me how similar and different Gehenna and Assiah are. I was told that the two mirrors each other, but still...

        There are roads and sidewalks everywhere. Straight, curved, circular, high and low with some several feet above others. Buildings and parking lots of all shapes and sizes are everywhere, either on the ground or higher up on grand platforms depending on the roads that connect to the entrances. There are even some demons/demonesses that travel in the sky, and there are lights and other flying figures, authorities, to traffic them. billboards are high and low, some connected to the ground and others hovering in place. It all so very memorizing.

        The rest of the ride is silent, but eventually we break away from the most busy parts of Voun and enter Axilespect. Here none of the roads are above the ground level. Though there are still some billboards for advisement. The place that we're going, however, is a place called Willows' Den.

        Willows' Den is apparently  _the place,_ with a bigger field and audience space than whats at even the castle grounds. It's still privately owned, which Yenzo explained during one of our social lessons, but it's not government or Father's. It doesn't just hold an arena, though. Willows' Den also hosts the most popular (in Father's lands anyways) gym, casino, and pub.

_-"Any adult's favourite playground," Moldy had commented.-_

        True to the praise and expectation, it's  _huge._  The part that can only be assumed to be the arena is so high up that it's larger than any of the female dragons. Then there is the rest of the dark but brightly and colourful lit building, which is nothing to sneeze at either. The parking lot is even  _bigger_ and it's completely full -many cars are forced to park on the rides of the roads!

        "Wow," I breathe, eyes wide. "How are we supposed to park?" I wonder.

        "There are reserved spots," Iblis-nee answers.

        "Oh." That makes sense.

        We drive up to the front entrance, and park in the three empty lots. When we pile out with Father leading and I behind him, people gawk. I avoid eye contact and try to ignore the awe looks, loud whispers, and the flashes of cameras. It's only worse when we enter the building, where it's vastly more populated.

        Almost as one, though, everyone gets on their knees and with their heads down respectfully. Some faster than others, and a few gets yanked down by someone else when they take too long with their obvious ogling. Just like what happened before the Head Priest (I forget what they call themselves here) come at the parade.

        "High Lord Satan. Your Highnesses," most but not all of them murmur together.

        "Stand," Father commands simply and they all do.

        Conversations immediately buzzes louder than before, and more cameras click away. I wince and turn my eyes away from the quick but constant and irritating flashes of light.

        "Prince Rin, can I get your autograph? Please?" a bald boy with unnaturally neon bright green eyes, short grey furs for skin, and with hooves instead of feet approaches me. He seems flustered but determined as he holds out a piece of paper and a pen. He can't be more than six years older than me.

        I'm shocked. Blinking stupidly, opening and closing my mouth without a sound like a fish.  _'What?_ ' My mind just...Blanks. Sort of. He-He wants  _my_  autograph?!

        "Isszelishka!" An even more embarrassed demoness, with the same eyes as the boy but has rough, bumpy brown skin instead of fur, pushes herself in front of the crowd and hisses angrily. "I-I am  _so sorry_ for my son!" The demoness bows deeply while pushing the boy's head down.

        "Mom-!" the boy complains, but is cut off.

 _"XexialIsszelishka, you will stay silent!"_ the mom growls quietly. "Please forgive his rudeness, my Kings and Queen," she says to us. "He will be punished for his actions."

        I glance at Father for guidance, but he only smirks down at me with a brow quirked unhelpfully.

        "Well, Rin?" he prompts.

        This is up to me, apparently.  _'But-! I don't know what to do!'_ My mind is still reeling over the fact that someone wants my  _autograph! 'Stop.'_ I take in a deep breath, and start repeating numbers in no order just like what Father used to tell me. After a moment of it, when I'm calm again, I try to smile at the boy and his mother whom are still bowing.

        "Ah, there's no need for bowing," I laugh nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. Everyone's gazes are burning holes into me...The pair straightens themselves, the mom keeping her eyes downcast but not the stubborn boy. Isszelishka, is his name? "Um," I bite my lip, "It's okay. I, uh, could sign it if you want...?"

        That seems to be the right thing to say, because Isszelishka beams and offers the paper and pen again. "My name is XexialIsszelishka, but you can just call me Issze!"

        I grin and relax under the easy greeting. "Hi, my names Okumura Rin. But, heh, I guess you already knew that..."  _'What should I write? Ahhhh...'_ I end up just writing "Nice to meet you, Issze!" and hand it back.

        "Thanks, Prince Rin!" Issze exclaims happily, clutching the paper close to his heart. "This is  _so_  awesome!"

        The mom stampers a long thank you and another apology, makes Issze bow again, before disappearing into the crowd with a firm hand on the chattering boy's shoulder.

        "Prince Rin!"

        "My Prince-"

        "Over here-"

        "Let's go," Father says and starts herding me away from the overeager people with cameras and recorders, all asking me questions and other pleading for me to sign something of  _theirs._ Yet despite what happens in movies, they still keep a respectful distance and don't even attempt to push past the tough looking security.

        "Your Majesties!" A rather fat and flustered but richly dressed demon stumbles his way to us  _('A lot of people are flustered around Father...')_ , and the guards move to allow it. "My deepest apologies for not being here to greet you earlier!" He bows to one knee awkwardly. "I am LolquuPrepa, the owner of Willows' Den. If I may, I shall escort you to your seats?"

        Prepa is probably Beelzebub-nii's kin, because his eyes are large, round and bug-like such as a fly's, but then he also has scales like Yenzo...Maybe a mix of the two? Hair is slicked back with gel. He has tiny horns sticking out of his forehead, too.

        Father hums. "You may."

        Prepa raises with slight difficulties and does so, chattering about how honoured he and his establishment is, and how much Willows' Den has to offer...I stop listening after five seconds, and instead look around, Father's warm hand still on my shoulder.

        We pass the pub and a bathroom on the way to an elevator. Inside is big enough for everyone, so when everyone is piled in Prepa presses the eightieth button. We're lead to a pair of double oak doors, which a couple of guards promptly opens for us. There are ten very comfy chairs in the room -one for each of us- that are faced to over look the whole and full arena. It looks like we're on the highest level and with the best view.

        I  _really_ like being royalty sometimes.

        "Tasteful," Clown-nii comments, glancing at the red wallpaper.

        "Thank you, you are too kind, King Samael. There is a summoning button on each of the chairs, so please don't hesitate if any of you need anything. There are also binoculars if you desire to take a closer look. The competition should start soon. I hope you'll all enjoy your time here in Willows' Den, and come again soon. And I wish you a very happy birthday, my Prince," Prepa adds sincerely with a bow before leaving us.

        "What's this?" I ask, pointing at the screen with buttons on one of my chair's arm, once everyone is seated.

        "It's for betting," Beelzebub-nii answers simply a few chairs down.

        "Oh."

        Someone must have pressed the summoning button, because about four minutes later there's a knock on the door. A servant is revealed when told to enter.

        "You called, your Highnesses?"

        Everyone lists off their orders, and when the servant turns questionably onto me, I ask for some pop and Gehenna's version of a hot dog.

        "Hello, everyone!" A loud voice starts in every speaker. "My fair name is YeullaIchkio, and you'll all have the pleasure of listening to my voice this evening."

        The audience cheers even louder in response.

        "Haha, glad to be here, I hear! Well, as you all know, today is a  _very_ special day. Today the whole of Gehenna is celebrating our one and only Prince Rin's seventh birthday! The only one, if rumours are true, to have inherited our beloved God's mighty Hellfire! Ah, but enough of that -now is the time to start the greatly anticipated Hailed Contest!

        Today we have twenty-seven contestants, three for each country! Here in High Lord Satan's lands we have IouMeka, IouWassiko, and FurrineeUrenzy! In the Land of the Light, the ever shining King Lucifer, we have AbigonNopiz, SasaishVec, and PiccdeLemi! Next door, where Space and Time bows to no one but King Samael, are..."

        The commentator introduces each of the contestants, but there are so many of them that I can't remember or keep the names straight. But they all look so  _big,_   _strong_ and  _scary!_ One even as an  _eye patch!_

        (I'm so glad that I don't have to fight any of them, and not anytime soon at that. Although I can't help but worry a bit for when I  _do...)_

        The first ones up are IouWassiko and AbigonNopiz.

        "I bet that Wassiko is going to dominate," Moldy muses.

        Lucifer doesn't reply, but Beelzebub-nii does with a shake of his head.

        "You don't think so?" Moldy jeers at Beelzebub-nii.

        "No," he answers plainly, bored. He takes a long drink of his bottle.

        "Why not?"

        "Because Wassiko is going to pull a Holicon at some point, and Nopiz'll counter it."

        "You can't know that! And the Bronze War was fifty-something years ago!" Moldy protests.

        "I can too," Beelzebub-nii retorts. "And it was forty-three years ago, for your information. Best not let the years wear you down, dear brother."

        "You would know about that, wouldn't you,  _elder brother?"_ Moldy snarks back.

        "What are they talking about?" I question Father.

        "You'll learn about it in your studies," Father dismisses.

        I pout, but turn back to the competitors nonetheless. The referee has just started the fight, and Wassiko immediately launches himself at his opponent.

* * *

        The Hailed Contest was  _great!_ I couldn't take my eyes off any of the matches (my 'hot dog' got cold, in fact, and I completely forgot about it until we got up to leave.) Every single one of the contestants fought bloody and hard, going until their opponent surrendered, the referee called the match, or when they could no longer go on due to snapped joints, broken bones, or because they were unconscious.

        I got hyped up, bouncing in my seat as I buzz with energy, just watching! (Still, I'm thankful that I didn't need to up against any pros myself.)

        (And yes, Beelzebub-nii  _was_ right about the first match. Moldy glared and sulked until the next one started up.)

        Iblis-nee's is walking and holding her head high even  _prouder_ than usual now, because it was  _her_ champion that won in the end. But seeing as it's still over and we still have the royal ball and the Qougekia Ritual to do tonight, we're all on our way back to the cars.

        We've just exited the front doors, Prepa wishing us a safe ride and once again thanking us, when a rock hits my temple and another on Father's leg.

        "OW!" I yelp, reflexively touching my head to where the hard rock hit me. I remove my fingers to see blood on them.

        Everyone freezes. Not even nature makes a peep, as everyone stares at my blood in shock.

_'What...?'_

        Father snarls, expression dark and utterly terrifying, and twirls sharply in the direction that the rocks flew.

        The crowd steps back and separates from one individual as if burned.

        There, an older demon with worn and torn at the hems clothes quickly loses his anger and confidence in the face of Father's fury.

        Father storms in front of the petrified demon before anyone can twitch, and lifts him up by the throat with one arm. The guilty demon gasps and struggles fruitlessly. "You  _dare_  to assault  _my son?_ " Father seethes. "Well, allow me to  _fix that_ ," he growls deeply.

        To my horror, the demon's screams are ear-piercing and almost heart-wrenching as Father's blue flames slowly, tortuously, consumes both of the demon's arms whole and eats them up greedily. But the fire doesn't move past that, and the demon is left sobbing, scarred and ruined without arms and still in Father's iron grip.

_'This isn't a criminal...This isn't a criminal...The contestants never screamed like this. Only, only the-'_

_-Something_ snapping, shattering,  _pain exploding in my head, collarbone,_ arm,  _piercing screams filling the air as the colour blue blinds, the taste of iron on my tongue, it's so hot, so, so hot and-_

        "Rin is  _mine_ _!"_ Father growls at the demon and the crowd. "And I will do more than slaughter any that tries to hurt him," he vows with bared fangs. "Rin, come here," he commands harshly.

        I stumble my way to his side, unable to look away from the mess that is the other, nameless, demon. Something cold and heavy settles on me. Something almost...Unfeeling.

        Father grips my shoulder and pulls me against him. Then blue fire shoots up and covers the three of us, before the surroundings that is Willows' Den, grave older siblings, and the frozen citizens disappear.

        The last thing I hear is:

        "Another rebellion...?"


	12. Demonic Celebrations II

        When Father's flames disappear, we're in the throne room. Father sneers at the nameless, sobbing demon still in his clutches and throws him to the ground in disgust.

        "Guards, take this  _thing_ to the dungeons!" Father snarls to the empty air, and in the next second two guards materialize from no where and drag the ruined demon away.

        "Um, don't you think that..." I begin nervously, the words getting stuck in my throat as I stare at Father's furious appearance. The image of him holding the nameless demon up by his throat, the screams echoing in my ears, flashes through my mind as my stomach churns. _'Don't you think that you went too far? It was just a small rock...'_

        I flinch away when Father raises his hands, the image of him choking the demon still fresh in my mind, but he ignores it with only a narrow-eyed look and holds my head, tilting it so he can see my temple better and gently touch the injured spot.

        "It's already healing..." Father mutters to himself. "Come, Rin, let's wash off the blood." He straightens and guides me out of the throne room with a hand on my shoulder.

        I bite my lip, wanting to speak but my voice is lost. I can still feel his anger, practically pulsing in the air, and I  _really_ don't want to make it worse or direct it towards me. As if sensing this Father demands:

        "What is it?  _Speak up_  if there's something you wish to say."

        I wince, ducking my head. "Ah, well..."

        "Rin..." Father warns, and knowing what he wants I lift my head up to look him in the eyes.

        "Wasn't, um, burning his...Wasn't that going too far? I mean, he only threw a rock..."

        Father's expression hardens and darkens even further. "No," he denies harshly. "A simple rock or not, he  _hurt_ you, Rin, and that's something that I refuse to allow. It may be just a rock this time, but if I don't teach the mortals and filth like that man the  _dire_ consequences of their stupidity, then they'll try worse things. If I didn't act like I did then those that attempt to fight my rule will get  _ideas_  and next time it could be a bullet. You are Yuri and I's son, and the filth is very lucky to still be alive as it is. Do you understand, Rin?"

        "But what about the arena?" I blurt. I almost regret the words as soon as they're out.

        Father narrow his eyes. "Those are different. The arena fights are there to  _teach you_ , Rin. And I'll remind you that  _you_ chose to fight the second time."

        "Yeah, I know, but-"

        "But  _nothing._ With the arena I was there, and in control. You can be sure that I would have  _never_  allowed you to be killed, and was prepared to step in if things went too far."

_'I thought things went "too far" in the first one...'_

        Once in a bathroom Father grabs a cloth, wets it, and starts dabbing my temple with it.

        "I can do it myself, you know," I grumble, but don't protest further than that.

        After he's finished he throws the cloth in the sink, and says, "You should go to your rooms and start preparing for the ball. I will send someone to let your butler know that you are here early. I have... _Things_  to attend too in the meantime."

        "Like the demon who threw the rock?"

        Father's grin is absolutely predatory. "Exactly," he purrs.

* * *

        "How long is this thing?" I ask Yenzo as he helps me with my tie.

        "Three hours, and then the ritual will take place for another two," Yenzo answers simply. He straightens and gives me a quick look down, fixing my collar. "There. You look very nice, sir."

        I look down at myself. It isn't much different from my normal clothes, aside from the fact I'm wearing pants instead of shorts and I have a jacket and vest on. Plus my crown of course.

        "Where are you going to be? Will you be serving drinks and stuff?" That's what butlers do in the movies, at least...

        "No, Young Master, that is for other servants. I shall mostly be keeping an eye on things from a wall with the other personal butlers. High Lord Satan has requested you to be at his side during the ball."

        "I won't have to dance, right?" I make a face at the very thought.

        "No," Yenzo chuckles. "Not unless you wish too?" he raises a brow teasingly.

        I shudder violently. "No way!" That's stuff is for girls and princesses and stuff!

        Yenzo hums. "One day you shall meet a girl..."

        "That's what my old teacher said, and you're both wrong!" I stick my tongue out. "Girls are gross."

        Yenzo lightly slaps me upside the head for my rude tongue-thing. "Oh? And what about Miss Kazeko?" he challenges mildly.

        "That's different! Kazeko doesn't count! And she's my  _friend,_ not my-my  _girlfriend!_ "

        Yenzo's back is turned now as he takes care of the clothes I was wearing before. "The exception is always the first step," Yenzo mutters quietly under his breath.

        I make another face, disgusted. Yenzo is  _wrong._ Kazeko and I are going to stay best friends forever -nothing more! She's just -she's too- she's  _Kazeko._ And I know she thinks the same about me.

        "Come, Young Master, we shouldn't be keeping the others waiting." Yenzo opens my doors and we walk towards the ballroom. We're actually taking a servant's passageway so that we don't run into any of the guests. Which is  _super cool_  -it's like an underground tunnel in movies and video games! I definitely have to go searching for more of them with Kazeko.

        Everyone but Clown-nii, Amaimon-nii, and Egyn is already here. Apparently the double doors here leads to the back of the ballroom, where a balcony over looks the whole floor. Yenzo said that's where Father is going to do the opening speech, or whatever.

        Yenzo bids a quiet goodbye before leaving me with Father and my older siblings.

        They're all in their fancy suits, crowns, and stuff as well. I notice that Azzy-nii still has his thin, gold belt-thing that he's always wearing. Iblis-nee looks really pretty in her sleeveless, blood red and silver patterned fitted dress that has a thigh-high split for each side and strap black heels. Her shiny black hair is in this really complicated up-do, and her glinting necklace is eye catching.

        "Rin, come here," Father commands. He's the closest one to the doors, while the others are loosely in line behind him. I suddenly get an image of them in school, with Father being the teacher, and they're all ready to leave the classroom.

        I go in between Father and Lucifer-nii, who is looking at me strangely. "What?" I ask him, when he keeps staring.

        "Nothing," he lies with a polite smile.

        I frown.  _'Is it because Father told me to be here?'_

        "Egyn," Father says and everyone turns to where he's looking.

        Egyn freezes, one hand fixing his sleeve. "Yes, Father?" he questions tightly.

        "Where are Samael and Amaimon?"

        "I do not know-"

        "Right here!" Clown-nii appears behind Egyn (causing said man to recoil and scowl darkly) somehow with flourish, a bright and fake smile on his face, and with Amaimon-nii slowly trailing behind in a slouch.

        "Samael, are you  _trying_ to blind everyone with your horrible taste?" Iblis-nee remarks, face twisted in disgust as she stares at Clown-nii's clothing. She's not the only one, either.

        Beelzebub-nii makes a noise of agreement. "Well, that's  _one_ way to get thrown out..."

        Clown-nii's outfit really  _is_  ugly. He's still wearing puffy pants, which I  _really_ don't get -maybe it has something to do with hiding his tail?- but even worse they're  _neon blue._ (At least it's not  _pink_  though, like his car in Assiah.) Then his black vest has some grey swirly patterns on it and just peeks though the jacket, which is fine I guess, but the jacket...It looks expensive, but...I don't know, I don't get fashion most of the time, I just know that what Clown-nii is wearing has to be breaking  _some sort_ of rule. At the very least with the  _bright_ pants.

        Father looks Clown-nii up and down, snorts, but doesn't otherwise comment.

        "My clothing is  _just fine,_ thank you very much," he clicks his tongue. He sends a dazzling smile Iblis-nee's way. "Though I'm afraid the same can't be said for your choice of-"

        Another Elopi word that I don't recognize, but evidently Iblis-nee does as she snarls something back and moves to take a step forward, but Azzy-nii stops her.

        "Iblis, the ball is about to start soon," he warns calmly. "You can always sort it out with Samael  _afterwards."_

        She's not happy, but begrudgingly backs down with one last glare and hiss at Clown-nii. Clown-nii takes his spot behind Lucifer-nii, as do Egyn and Amaimon-nii in theirs.

 _'I wonder why Iblis-nee hates Clown-nii so much...'_ I resolve to ask her about it later, because right then Father orders the two servants (which I didn't notice before now) at the doors to open them. They do.

        Just like at Willow's Den, once we've filed out and into the balcony, which has some fancy and curved staircases leading down to the floor on either side, facing the crowd of demons of all shapes and sizes, and with Father in front and hands on the railing, the citizens all bow on their knees. Well, aside from the many guard's that line the walls that is. They stay put.

_'I wonder why...'_

        Unlike at Willow's Den, though, Father doesn't immediately tell the others to stand.

        "I thank you for coming to celebrate my son's day of birth," Father's voice is strong as he says this and gestures me forward.

        I break from the line to stand on his right side.

        "As you know, the Qougekia Ritual will be taking place later tonight. But for now, raise and enjoy the ball."

        I can't help but notice how the most important-looking demons and demonesses stand before the others, and lastly the servants, almost as one mind.

        "Stay with me, understood, Rin?" Father whispers.

        "Okay," I agree easily. It's not like I know anyone here aside from him and my siblings.

        The ballroom itself is made up of white walls and tiles, but where one would imagine gold lining and decorations would be there's a dark green crystal lining and decorations instead. Black curtains are pushed to the side on the gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows, over looking one of the beautiful gardens and near the front gate. The ceiling is like a dome, and a bright chandelier hangs from it. There are also stone statues and painting that decorate the walls -with the statues either on the floor or sitting on a high up ledge. Lastly, eating tables, and food and drink tables are pushed to the side for the dancers.

        For the next two hours, lots of different Lords and Ladies try to strike up a conversations with Father and I -though more so Father than me. Sometimes it's for some sort of business or otherwise grownup talk (which is  _boring_  and I try to tune those talks out and entertain myself with trying all of the different foods there is to offer. I hadn't been able to help in the kitchens lately because all the cooks were too stressed trying to prepare for this ball. Especially Hasc. Although I stay away from the dishes that still  _move._  Eww!) Many of the Lord and Ladies have kids. One of the most memorable ones is with male twins, RurinaDaihatsu and RurinaKeimaru.

        "So you turned seven today, right?" the one on the left clarifies. They have curled horns like Moldy, but that where the similarities end. They also have dark violet skin and black eyes, nails, and hair.

        "Yeah," I answer plainly.  _'Which one is he again?'_

        "Cool," the other comments, glancing at his twin, "We turned ten last month."

        "What do you like to do? Keimaru and I like to play Og," the twin that must be Daihatsu says.

        "Ah, I don't know what Og is, but I like to cook, explore the castle, pull pranks with Kazeko, and hang out with the dragons," I reply honestly.

        "How can you not know what Og is?" bewildered, Daihatsu demands (earning himself a sharp look from his Dad, who is talking to Father about exports-something) at the same time Keimaru asks:

        "What's a 'dragon'?"

        "Oh, um, I meant a mabic," I correct myself while rubbing my neck sheepishly. Heat creeps up on me slowly at Daihatsu's question. "And I've only been in Gehenna for a year..." I try to answer Daihatsu.

        "That's  _so cool!_ You get to see  _mabics?!"_ Keimaru gushes and latches onto my shoulders, again simultaneously as Daihatsu loudly exclaims:

        "Oh, right! I forgot that you were kidnapped by the humans until now! Hey, hey," he smiles slyly, crowding me like his twin, "I heard that they forced you to bathe in holy water and made you live in a cage like an animal. Is it true?"

        "What?" I demand, shocked and recoiling. "No! Where did you hear  _that?"_

 _"Daihatsu and Keimaru!"_ their Dad pauses in his conversation with Father to hiss harshly at them, jerking them away from me. "Apologize at once!" He turns to Father, flustered and with a bow. "I am terribly sorry for their insolence, High Lord Satan." He straightens with an added, slightly growled and pointed  _"Boys..."_

        They look up at their Dad with mulish expressions.

        "Why?" Daihatsu demands.

        "Yeah, what did we do?" Keimaru agrees.

        "We were only asking a question," Daihatsu adds. "Isn't that right, Prince Rin?" he looks at me expectantly.

        I can't help but shift my feet awkwardly when their Dad's eyes flash with anger.

 _"Apologize!"_ their Dad repeats.

        "Sorry, Prince Rin and High Lord Satan," they bow and say dully.

        "Father, can we see the mabics too? With Prince Rin?" Keimaru eagerly asks afterwards.

        Their Dad hesitates. "Only if they allow it..."

        "Um," I start, but Father interrupts coldly:

        "No."

        The twins wilt while their Dad becomes even  _more_ nervous. "Ah, if you'll please excuse us, I do believe that Suka is calling us..."

        Once they've left Father tells me; "Those brats are worse than your friend. Do not associate with them."

        "Ah, okay." I guess Keimaru is alright, but I don't like his brother much either.

        Later I ask Father where the bathroom is, and he points me in the direction as another Lord begins to approach. No one's in the bathroom, but almost as soon as I've finished and taken fifteen steps away from it a wealthy looking demoness and her daughter quickly approach me.

        "Prince Rin, my name is SycNanae, Head of the Noble Syc Clan, and this is my youngest daughter Pazei. She'll be the same age as you in a fortnight. We wish to congratulate you," she smiles.

        The first thing I notice about them is that they both have five blinking eyes, which is  _cool_  (reminds me of spiders.) Their skin is a dark grey with slightly glowing pink lines up their legs, arms, necks, which branch off to their collarbones, and that curl above their brows and weave around their many eyes. Their hands are webbed, and lastly their ears and fangs are like any normal demon's.

 _'I wonder if they're great swimmers...'_ Actually, I recall Yenzo saying that the Syc Clan is one of the monopoly-players in Egyn's lands when he was lecturing about the Noble Clans. Something about the Syc Clan owning lots of big enterprises, or something.

        "Thanks," I respond. I glance around for Father. I don't really know what else to say. Should I wish the girl a 'happy early birthday'?

        "Tell me, my Prince, have you ever been to Flagland's?" Lady Syc asks me.

        "No," I shake my head. "What is it?"

        "Why, it's the Amusement Park that the Syc Clan owns in King Egyn's lands. My husband and I are planning on celebrating Pazei's birthday there on the forty-second. We would be honoured if you came as well," she explains.

        "Egyn's lands? But, like, isn't most of his territory underwater?" An Amusement Park sounds  _really_ fun, and I wonder how different it'll be like compared to the one that Dad took Yukio and I to, but how am I supposed to go there if I can't breathe underwater?

        "That's correct," Lady Syc dips her head in acknowledgment. "And there are equipment for those not able to breathe underwater, of course."

        "Really?" I brighten, an image of me scuba-driving coming to mind. "Cool!"

        "So can we expect your arrival...?" she hedges.

        "Yeah! Eh, well, I have to ask Father first..." I laugh sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck.

        Lady Syc's smile widens. "Of course, my Prince. We'll await your answer then. Now-"

        "Pardon me," Yenzo comes and interrupts suddenly.

        "Yenzo!" I turn and grin. I didn't even hear him approaching!

        "Young Master," Yenzo dips his head and greets politely. "I regret to cut yours and Lady Syc's talk short, but I'm afraid that High Lord Satan has been looking for you."

        "Have I seen you before?" Her expression tightens in a displeased manner as she looks Yenzo up and down.

        Yenzo smiles. (I don't know if they can tell, but it's not one of Yenzo's nicest smiles.) "Yes, I do believe that I had tried for a place as your own family's butler. Two years ago, if I recall correctly."

        Lady Syc's eyes widen a smudge momentarily. She opens her mouth but Yenzo smoothly beats her:

        "If you'll please excuse us, my Lady." With a final nod of his head towards them and a hand on my shoulder, Yenzo guides me away with a tiny smirk on his face.

        "What?" I ask him.

        Yenzo's hand falls away, but his little smirk and the quiet satisfied air around him doesn't. "Nothing you need to worry about, sir."

        "Yeah, but why do you look so happy?"

        He glances down at me, pursing his lips as he decides to speak or not. Finally, he explains, "She was quite rude when she had turned me down two years ago, so I suppose I'm simply taking some vindictive pleasure on her surprise is all. I doubt she expected to find me here, as  _your_ personal butler. Though I am glad she turned me down, or else I wouldn't have met you," he smiles.

        I grin, warmth expanding in my chest. "Me too," I agree happily.

        Father is talking with an elderly couple once Yenzo and I find him, and Yenzo steps away when Father spots me.

        "Of course, my Lord, I simply thought that-"

        "There you are, Rin," Father interrupts the old dude when I'm a couple feet away, and the couple pauses to look at me.

        "Prince Rin, I don't think I've had the pleasure of your acquaintance yet," the old dude says gruffly, large eyes that remind me of a frog's boring into me. "I am the second General BexoriAlixae, and this is my wife Osuu." As he introduces himself and the stern old lady on his right, I notice the nasty looking scar on his fat throat.

        "Nice to meet you," I lie, unable to look away from the scar as unease slowly creeps into me. Something about the man makes my hair stand on end and sends goosebumps up my arms.

        "How is Gehenna treating you so far, Prince? I imagine it's a shock difference compared to Assiah," he continues warily.

        "General," Father narrows his eyes and states icily.

        "Pardon me," the General dips his head. "That was rather thoughtless of me."

        "Rin, I believe that is time for you to start preparing for the Qougekia Ritual," Father tells me.

        I blink, glancing between him and the General. "Okay," I respond and try to spot Yenzo. There! At the front (or back?) inbetween the two stair cases and with my siblings' butlers. I say a quick goodbye to the others before hurrying to Yenzo, glad to be away from the General's creepy staring. "Father said I should get ready for the ritual," I inform Yenzo.

        Yenzo checks the time on his watch. "Alright," he replies. "Let us go then." We make our way to a staircase, but just as a waiter passes by Yenzo stop him.

        "Sir?" The puzzled waiter questions.

        "Go inform the cosmetologists that they are to come to Prince Rin's rooms, as to prepare him for the ritual. They should be in the south wing."

        "Understood, sir." The waiter leaves.

        Once we're in my rooms Yenzo makes me have  _another_ shower, even though I just had one last night (totally unfair), but by the time I'm out of the bathroom a small group of demonesses are waiting in the sitting area.

        I'll never admit it to anyone, but...I'm slightly scared of the group of demonesses now. They didn't speak directly to me much, mostly just around me and to each other and sometimes to Yenzo, but they  _attacked_ me! I don't care what Yenzo says, that they're "only doing their jobs," but the way that they went after my hair like it was some sort of great dragon needing to be slain, or the way they held their paint brushes and at me, or their calculating gazes when they bluntly asked me to strip (I barely won the right to keep my pants on!)...

        I am not looking forward to the next time.

        "Shut up," I grumble to a smirking Yenzo once the vicious group of demonesses pack up and leave.

        "I didn't say anything."

        "You were  _thinking_  it," I pout and cross my arms. I'd like to see  _him_ stand against those demonesses! The black and blue paint (which dried super fast) on my skin still feels cold (plus it smells), and weird against the silky texture of the traditional robes. It's kinda like what Azzy-nii wore when I first met him, with how it's a one piece with loose pants but it's also sleeveless. Though instead of boring brown mine is a mix of black, white, dark violet and with golden hems and loose collar. I also don't have a belt. The paint that the demonesses covered me in extends not just on my hands, arms, feet, neck and face, but also my legs, stomach, chest, and back (not that anyone will see those parts.) Lastly, instead of my normal black or brown shoes I'm wearing fancy slip-ons that match my robe's colour scheme.

        "Come, Young Master," he opens my doors as if I hadn't spoken.

        When we exit, though, we spot Lucifer-nii leaning against the wall and waiting in the hallways.

        "Lucifer-nii?" I inquire, confused.

        "Ah, Rin, just the person I've been waiting for," he smiles as he straightens himself. "I was hoping that we could chat as we make our way to the others."

        "Sure," I agree, glancing at a stoic Yenzo. I fall into step beside Lucifer-nii as Yenzo follows behind.

        "How are you enjoying Gehenna so far?" Lucifer-nii asks me pleasantly.

        "I like it," I answer simply with a shrug, remembering Father's reaction to when the General asked the same thing.

        He nods, like he's expecting that response. "And you're training with Father?" he prompts. "I hear that you're learning on how to control your Hellfire by...Cooking, was it?"

        "Yeah! I really like to cook, so Father thought it would be a good way to teach me control. And it does! At first we and Hasc -he's one of the head chefs, by the way- only made pies, but then we made other foods! My favourite part of the sessions is the end, 'cause then I get to eat what we make! Father also said that soon we're going to start on  _shaping_ my fire! He created this big bird of his fire and it moved and flapped it's wings all on it's own -it was super cool!"

        "That does sound exciting. I remember your little show during the cooking contest; it was most clever," Lucifer-nii compliments.

        "Thanks!" I beam proudly. "I didn't want anyone messing with my food, so I put a kind of barrier around it. It was a bit hard to make sure that I didn't burn my food, though. But I did it!"

        "Has Father ever mentioned your mother, by any chance?" he asks curiously.

        "Yeah, he said that she was the only one, besides me and Yukio of course, that's immune to his blue fire. But then the exorcists killed her." I scowl, fists clenching angrily at the reminder.

        This seems to peak Lucifer-nii's interests. "You are immune to Father's own Hellfire, you say? Does this hold true the other way around as well?"

        "I guess. He's never been hurt when he touches me while I'm covered in them."

        "Curious..." he mutters to himself quietly. "Has Father ever mentioned any...Oddities that your mother possessed? Anything that would separate her from the normal humans, or anything in her DNA that would create her strange ability to resist Hellfire?"

        "No," I shake my head. "He only said that she was the only human that  _allowed_ him to partly possess her. And that she taught him lots of different things."

        He seems disappointed, but not surprised at my words. Nonetheless he persists; "What things did she teach him?"

        "I don't know. He never said."

        "I see." Lucifer-nii stops walking and I follow suit. "Thank you, Rin, for talking with me. But let's just keep this between us, yes?" He smiles.

        "Sure." I blink.  _'He seems awfully formal...'_

        "Wonderful. Well, I must take my leave now, but I'll see you later." Then he leaves, and when I turn to look at Yenzo I become even more confused.

 _'Why is he so stiff and distant?'_ Immediately, guilt swarms me when I realize  _why. 'We were talking about my fire...'_ I open my mouth to apologize, not wanting him to be like he was before (he was just getting better!) but he beats me:

        "I believe that the others are waiting, sir. Best to not keep them waiting." Yenzo turns away from me and opens the doors next to me, revealing the outside.

        Hurt, I nod mutely and head outside.

        The field is  _huge,_ like a football one, and in the middle of it is a giant pile of wood bonfire-style. The crowd of people is less than what was in the ball, but still a lot of people. Then there are the caged animals a little ways away, growling, hissing, cowing, and making all kinds of different noises when someone gets too close. Of course, I immediately seek out Father and my siblings, who are all together even Lucifer-nii. (How is he so fast?)

        Yenzo escorts me to my family before once again falling back to be with the other butlers.

        "They did a good job," Father says while examining me.

        I raise my arms, inspecting the paint on them and my hands. "The paint feels weird," I say flatly.

        Beelzebub-nii snorts into his drink. "Yes, well, it  _is_ made out of meezic gunk," he drawls.

        I blink. Made out of  _what_ gunk now?

        "Now that we are all here, let us begin," Father says before I can ask Beelzebub-nii what he meant.

        All Father needs to do is clear his throat pointedly, and immediately the chattering crowd of Nobles of all ages hush and turn their heads to pay attention. "Thank all of you for attending this special event -especially those that have brought worthy sacrifices. Now, without anything furthermore, let us begin Rin's first Qougekia Ritual. Iblis, if you would do the honours."

        With a "Yes, Father" Iblis-nee outreaches with her hand towards the pile of wood on everyone's right, and a blazing fireball shoots out of her palm that consumes the wood like a proper bonfire. There are some gasps and murmurs of amazement with some of the fellow kids in the crowd.

        This is my cue to step forward and turn my back on my family so that the Nobles can clearly see me, which I do with clammy palms that I rub on my pants. As I step forward so does the second General and his wife, while a couple of servants drag a cage with a protesting animal inside to them.

        "It is with pride that the Noble Clan of Bexori presents this toshinari, and bless Prince Rin with great wit and cleverness until the next Qougeki Ritual," the General says with finality.

        The animal in the cage -the "toshinari"- is on the small side. It's furry and hunched over, standing on four legs with the feet of a monkey's, and has thick stripped tail that keeps banging on the metal bars. The cat-like ears are at least half it's body length, raised high and flickering, and the golden eyes are tiny. But what gives me the biggest pause is its long and sharp claws on each hand (foot?) that are as long as the arms. Altogether, though, it's the same size as a house cat.

        It doesn't look very happy to be caged.

        A servant steps up to hand me the same dagger that I used in the second arena match and to take my crown. Once I'm ready and, lighting the small blade in my hand on fire like Father suggested I do, directly in front of the cage the toshinari is freed without further ado.

        ...I'm embarrassed about what happens next. But it's not my fault! I swear! The toshinari is  _really_ quick and slippery, okay?! As soon as the cage opens it immediately guns for it, and so when I raise my empty hand and create small fire walls as too trap it, it freezes, it's beady little eyes glaring up at me, before it literary scurries up my legs and latches onto my back, it's painfully long claws tearing up my skin and digging into me.

        I panic. I can't reach it because  _it's on my back (itsonmybackitsonmyback),_ and so I...Blow up. Light myself on fire. It kills the toshinari, the toshinari landing on the ground as a great charred lump. It also kills my robes.

        And so I sit on the ground, face aflame with utter and bone deep mortification, and using the dead toshinari to cover myself while everyone else stares in stunned silence.

        The silence is shattered when Moldy bursts out laughing, clutching an equally amused Amaimon-nii shoulder with his face buried in it, and with his whole body shaking.

        "Oh-! Oh, Father, did you  _see_  that? He-! He just-!  _Oh that's hilarious!"_ Moldy continues, red faced and tearing up. Just when he begins to calm down, he glances at me and starts up all over again.

        Sharp anger rushes through me, heating my cheeks and neck further, but I can do nothing but watch as other members of my family laugh at me. At least Father, Azzy-nii, Iblis-nee, and Lucifer-nii bother to stifle theirs. I even catch some muffled gasps and laughter from the Nobles.

_'Please kill me now!'_

        Father snaps his fingers and immediately Yenzo comes running with a blanket. I  _very gratefully_ take it and wrap myself around it, letting Yenzo guide me back inside. I'm given new clothes, but once I'm dressed again Yenzo tries to get me to finish the ritual.

        I flat out refuse.  _Obviously._

        "I am  _not_ going back out there! No way!" I declare firmly, recalling Moldy and everyone else laughing at me, causing my face to go beet red again.

        A few minutes later, Father enters the spare room.

        "I'm not going back out there," I tell him stubbornly, crossing my arms and glaring.

        Several embarrassing stories that includes (but aren't limited to) Father walking in Azzy-nii and a demoness doing  _it,_  Moldy fainting, and a preteen Clown-nii accidentally mooning the entire public, I go back outside with Father feeling a bit better.

        Some people appear too stiff or stone-faced to be normal, but Moldy doesn't try to hide his chuckles as I pass. I glower at him, silently vowing to get him back.

        The rest of the sacrifices and ritual is without incident. There was an animal for strength (which resembled a wolf, but it was as if its entire skin was a scab and yellowish hair stuck out in patches in odd areas. It had big, curly horns by its alerted ears, and its eyes unnervingly were like a snake's. This type of creature is called a 'wavine' and the Hassuke Clan got it straight from the Waste Lands -the wavine was the hardest to kill.) And others for longevity/long lifespan, adaptability, intelligence, beauty, luck, and endurance.

        Finally, though, it's over and I can go hide away. But before I can Moldy comes up to me and chuckles:

        "Did you get a bit too fired up, little Prince?"

        I glare up at him and hiss one word; "squirrel," before turning on my heel and storming away.

        "H-Hey! Who told you about that!? Was it Beelzebub -hey! Come back!"


	13. Thee Other Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...I don't have an excuse. I've just been writing other stuff. Sorry for the super long wait.
> 
>         Anyways, to everyone who has commented about Rin having white hair -and being reborn into a full demon- due to a shattered Kuriara in the manga, the last scene and the future chapter As The Years Go By (and any other possible sick!Rin scenes before the age of sixteen) is for you guys. Hope you enjoy!

I wake up the sound of beeping. Groaning, I turn over in my bed and sluggishly reach for my annoying alarm clock. I sigh, the clock having stopped, and rub my eyes. Regretfully I sit up and grab my glasses from my night stand -right next to the picture of Rin and I's fourth birthday.

        My clock that tells me that it's seven o' three in the morning.  _'Gotta get ready for school. I think Dad also said something about an exorcist meeting later on...'_ Something about a group of mid to high level demons causing trouble lately.

        The reminder puts a sour taste in my mouth. If only he would let me come! But no, it's "too dangerous." I can study, ace both the safety and academic tests that he gives me, and kill the demons that he captures and releases in a very controlled environment, but I can't go on any official missions with him. It's so  _frustrating._

        It's not that I don't understand where he's coming from. Even if he hasn't admitted it to me, I know that he's terrified of me being taken like Rin. And I'm pretty sure that if he was the type to believe that me being ignorant would keep me safe, I wouldn't know what demons were even real. He would have made up some tale of a human kidnapping Rin instead. Thankfully that's not the case, and he always makes sure that I am knowledgeable and skilled, but nothing  _official._

        Because if my years of training was  _official,_ then I would already be an exorcist. I would be sent on missions. Be pitted against demons where Dad can't watch and be ready to rescue me.

        Some days it's suffocating. When I'm practicing shooting or exorcising demon under supervision his gaze bores into my back...His twitching fingers, hesitant step forward if a demon gets too close is very distracting, and his constant nervousness makes  _me_  nervous. Causes me to second think myself and my mind to blank. Then he'll take those mistakes, big and small, and use them as excuses that I'm "not ready."

        It's  _infuriating._ Some days the anger and frustration is too much, fills and chokes me up and constricts my chest to the point of real pain, and all I want to do is scream and rage. Ripe or pound into something. Even envisioning punching Dad in the face. On those days I'll take my gun and go shooting, informing one of the other priests but never Dad. I imagine the targets as demons and all the reasons  _why_ I'm here in the first place. Because if only Dad would  _let me_ I know I can go far -I can  _really_ follow in his footsteps and become the strongest exorcist. Earn the Paladin title.

        I'll think  _'Why can't he understand? Why is he so determined to hold me back?'_

        Then I'll look at my walkie talkie -one half of the set- and immediately I'll wallow in my guilt. I hate that stupid walkie talkie just as much I treasure it. It's one of the too-few links I have to Rin, but then I remember that I'm the only one that knows he's even alive. (Not that I can ever forget.) Just as Dad's overprotective behaviour is both suffocating and infuriating, I feel filthy to my very core knowing that I lie. Seeing the pain in Dad and the others' eyes whenever they're reminded, the quiet sobs in the night on the anniversary...I lie and let them carry that grief in their hearts every single day.

        But then what can I do but train even harder? To become stronger so that one day I can rescue Rin from the awful demons -so that we can all be a family once again?

        Oh, I've thought about breaking my promise more than I can count. And I actually did, once, when I was seven. It was one night, after Dad finally came home after fruitlessly searching for any clue towards finding Rin, and he had looked so  _old._ So incredibly tired and... _Hopeless._ His clothes and hair had been a mess, like he hadn't changed nor showed in several days (he hadn't.) And when I stared up at him, having been waiting for his return, I saw something truly  _broken_  and  _lost_.

        It was too much.

        I had broken down myself, sobbing and desperately clinging to his pants as if I held on tight enough then he wouldn't fall apart. I wailed that I was sorry -so,  _so very sorry-_  and when Dad finally got me to calm down enough so that he could understand my wet blubbering, I told him  _everything_. I told him that Rin had came back one night, that the evil demons were keeping him in Gehenna and that they only let him talk to me. That we meet up outside of the nearby park, in the forest.

        Dad was skeptical, of course. But I swore up and down that it's true, and that he can see Rin for himself in two days. And so in two days' time we stood in the secluded part of the forest.

        Rin never showed.

        Not that week, not the next week, or even the week after that. My walkie talkie remained as silent as the dead.

        Dad said, very sadly and with pity, that it had only been a dream. He never went out looking for Rin again.

        I was a complete mess for months. I barely had an appetite after that and many nights went by sleepless. I ignored everybody for the most part, never wanting to hang out with other kids and very quiet at home, often locked in my room. I broke my promise to Rin and I had truly thought that I would never see him again. All because I couldn't keep my big fat mouth  _shut._ Dad got me to talk to a child's' therapist after a month of seeing no improvement.

        But then suddenly after five months, Rin shows up one day after school. I had broken down right then and there, too, but this time out of pure relief of seeing my older twin well and  _here._ He had been smiling and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly until he saw me crying, and then he freaked out. We clung to each for what seemed like hours, and the whole time we couldn't stop apologizing to each other. I never told him that I tried to tell Dad and he never asked.

        That day is the hardest and scariest as I watched him leave again -even more so than the first.

        I have never dared to utter a single peep about our secret after that.

        "Hurry up, Yukio! Or else you won't have time to eat!" One of the priests shouts.

        I sigh and begin getting dressed for the day. I grab my school bag and head down to breakfast, where it seems like no one had time to cook so I make myself a bowl of cereal.

        "Good morning, Yukio," Dad flashes a smile at me as I sit down.

        "Morning," I reply monotonously.

        "Anything special at school today?"

        "No, though I do have a social test tomorrow after lunch," I answer.

        He grimaces. "Never liked social class myself."

        "Except in eleventh grade, in which your teacher was apparently hot," I remind him flatly.

        He grins at the memory. "Ah yes, Mrs. Goto..."

        I can only shake my head at him. Sometimes I wonder who's the teenager here.

        Dad sees this and teases; "Laugh at me all you want now, but in a few years you too will be hit by hormones, and then  _I'll_ be the one laughing as you trip over yourself trying to talk to cute girls."

        I simply shrug. After breakfast I pack my lunch and with a quick "I'm heading out!" I put on my shoes, and start on the path to school, my walkie talkie securely in my bag.

        I take extra care not to glance at the small memorial shrine on my way. On it is a picture of Rin when he was six -only a couple months before the kidnapping- showing him ginning up at the camera with a peace sign. The beautiful bouquet of flowers and scented candles next to the framed picture are cared for everyday, and replaced every couple of weeks.

        I despise that awful memorial shrine even more than Dad holding me back.

        With my spiralling thoughts turning bitter, I don't notice my friends and classmates Asano Mitsuki and Watanabe Hatori until they shout.

        "Yo, Okumura-kun!" Asano waves and grins as they jog to meet me.

        I startle slightly, but quickly try to push my dark thoughts away and plaster a polite (fake) smile on. Asano rests his arm over my shoulders as we continue to walk. "Morning, Asano-kun, Watanabe-kun," I greet.

        "What were you thinking about?" Watanabe inquires curiously. "You are scowling pretty fiercely for a second there."

        "I bet he was planning Nakamura's utter and complete demise!" Asano crackles, briefly squeezing my shoulders. "His face was definitely one of murder! Weren't you, Okumura-kun?"

        Watanabe smirks with gleeful eyes. "Oooh, I hope you didn't plan on doing it all on your own. I owe the jerk one for last P.E class," he jokes.

        "Or a few hundred," Asano pipes up 'helpfully.'

        "Shut up," Watanabe scowls and half-heartily punches Asano's other arm. "He totally destroyed you, too.  _I_ at least lasted more than ten mintues into the game!"

        Asano just shrugs, retorting snakily; "Yeah, but  _I'm_  not the one with the dream of being a professional player, am I?"

        I can't help but smile at their easy banter, this time genuinely. Asano and Watanabe have been friends since second grade and, although it's obvious that they're closer friends with each other than with me because of it, they've never made me feel unwanted or excluded.

        I first met Asano in the debate club last year when we got paired up for a project. He then later introduced me to Watanabe who is part of the soccer club. The three of us became fast friends after that, with Asano and I enjoying our debates, studying together, and because we found that we make an excellent team. And while truthfully I'm not into sports like Watanabe is, I do like a good workout and we scheduled to do most of our stamina training together during the weekends. All together we founds that we liked the same video games, books and a couple of other things.

        When we make it to the school we pass the main gate -ignoring a teacher chewing out a pair of other students for going against the dress code- and are making way to our homeroom when one of Watanabe's teammates comes running up.

        "Oi, Watanabe-kun! Watanabe!" the teammate mindlessly shoves others in the hallway, earning himself glares and annoyed looks.

        "Yosiha-kun?" he turns and pauses.

        Breathing a bit heavily, Yosiha-kun asks, "Have you given Coach the permission slip yet?"

        Watanabe pales. "Oh crap...I think I left it at my house."

        "It was due yesterday!" Yosiha reminds. "You better have it before practice!"

        Watanabe winces. "Sorry guys, but I gotta go!" he tells Asano and I before running off.

        "But the bell is going to go any minute!" I call after him, but am ignored.  _'Can't he just call home during lunch?'_ I wonder.

        "Come on, Okumura-kun," Asano shrugs and continues to our classroom.

        I sigh and follow.

* * *

        Nothing especially interesting or new happens during the lessons.

        Ito-sensei lectures about fractions and electricity during math and science class, and then after lunch Sato-sensei makes write a short essay on the advantages and disadvantages of zoos.

        Although during lunch when Asano tries to look "cool" by angling his chair on its back legs and then fails epically, his expression freezing before his eyes widen comically as he falls, is quite funny. Asano ducks his head, a blush creeping up on him, and mutters a "shut up" while Watanabe teases him mercilessly for it. He even goes as for as to fake a redo of Asano's fall, eyes wide as can be and arms flailing about wildly.

        "Do you guys want to come over to my house and play Goldmine?" Asano asks, trying to change the subject from his fall. "After debate and soccer I mean."

        "Sure," Watanabe replies. "I found this cheat online that lets you in the hidden cave without the moving the stupid boulder!"

        Seeing as Dad is going to that meeting, I don't have any scheduled exorcist training today. "I'll ask my Dad," I agree, pulling out my new phone that I got this year for my thirteen birthday.

        "Man, it's  _so_ unfair that you already have your own phone!" Watanabe whines. "My mom says that I can't have one until I'm sixteen."

        "It's probably because you're so forgetful. I wouldn't be surprised if you lost it within the first hour of owning it!" Asano teases.

        "I don't see you having one either," Watanabe scoffs. "You'd probably break it within the first  _minute!"_

        "He says yes, but I have to be home for dinner," I inform.

        "Eh? But that's like, only an hour after debate! Not  _even_ if you include the time it takes to walk to and from!" Asano protests.

        I shrug helplessly. "You know how strict he is on being home before dark."

        It is, after all, when demons become the most active.

* * *

        After the final bell we separate; Watanabe going outside for his soccer club and Asano and I going to room B-2 for debate.

        "Ah, there they are!" Tanaka-sensei exclaims once she spots us.

        I see that everyone is already here before us, and so even though I know we're not I still do a small bow and say; "Sorry for being late, Tanaka-sensei."

        "Oh, you're just on time as always, Okumura. Everyone else is just early!" she dismisses my gesture. "Now, everyone remembered their notes? Good. So do I have any volunteers to go first?"

        Asano's hand immediately shoots up, but apparently not fast enough because Tanaka-sensei picks our opponents, Amaya and Furuta who are representing the "against plastic packaging" team. Everyone settles into desks, including a grumpy Asano and I, while Amaya and Furuta go stand in front of the class.

        They start on the obvious route of plastic not being eco-friendly, and what we could do and use instead of polluting the waters and earth with this waste.

        I'll admit that Asano's and I's argument against their points aren't our strongest. Because, well, frankly our side is  _stupid_  and the only valid point that we can make is that plastic packaging is easy and convenient. Not very impressive or compassionate.

        Amaya and Furuta aren't even finished speaking, but I already know that we've lost. Glancing at Asano, I know that he knows it too.

        Sigh.

* * *

        It's after the clubs and when Asano, Watanabe, and I are on our way to Asano's house to play video games when I hear it. The static sound of my walkie talkie in my bag. I pause, searching to see if they heard it too, but it seems like they're too consumed in their argument about what foods taste the best to notice.

        "Okumura-kun?" Watanabe questions, turning his head and pausing as well.

        I plaster a smile on my face and say; "Sorry, but I just got a text from my Dad. Something came up so I can't come after all."

        They frown. "What happened?" Asano wonders.

        "I forgot to do some chores," I lie smoothly. "He doesn't want me at a friends house before they're done."

        "That sucks," Watanabe comments, obviously disappointed. "Can you finish before dinner time?"

        I fake a wince. "Sorry, but I don't think so. Maybe tomorrow?"

        "I'll have to ask my Mom," Asano replies. "There's a chance that my family is going out tomorrow."

        I nod in understanding. "Bye, guys, I'll see you tomorrow!" We wave goodbye and I head in the direction of the church until they're out of sight, in which I change direction and head towards the park instead.

        I'm jogging to get there faster, and I see a couple of little kids on the playground with their parents chatting on a bench. Still, I can't help but glance around to make sure that no one I know is here before I inter the forest. Our meeting place isn't anything special, but it's away from prying eyes and marked by a certain tree that looks as if it's two trees messed together.

        Rin is leaning against it, grinning and looking flushed, when I arrive.

        "Hey, Yukio!" he greets cheerfully and straightens, but then his smile falters as he blinks rapidly, putting a hand on the trunk to balance himself.

        I frown.  _'What's wrong with him?'_ concern nips at me. "Are you okay, Nii-san?" I question.

        "I'm fine! Just a little dizzy is all!" he tries to reassure me.

        Calling bullcrap, I only eye him suspiciously before deciding to leave it for the time. "Mmhm," I hmm disbelievingly. "So anything new with you?"

        Rin immediately brightens. "Fa-Ah, I mean  _they_ finally said that I can go to Kazeko's house! I'm going next week. I'm so excited!"

        Anger sparks within me. He was about to call the filthy, kidnapper demon  _father_ , and sadly it's far from the first time either. I highly doubt it'll be last, too. It's so  _wrong_ that they're forcing him to refer them as  _family_! Worse; Rin actually  _cares_ about his kidnappers in that regard.

        He very obviously suffers from years of Stockholm Syndrome. Sadly, it seems like everything I try is in vain.

        Doesn't mean that I'm going to give up, though. Far from it in fact.

        "The  _demon_ isn't your real dad, Nii-san," I remind him firmly, trying to keep my frustration at bay. I have to tell him this almost every visit. "Shiro Fujimoto is."

        Rin's whole body flinches. "I know, okay?" he murmurs, not meeting my eyes.

        Looking at him, my throat closes and my chest compresses almost painfully. I  _loathe_ this. With every fiber of my being, I  _hate_ what the demons are doing to him. From what he's told me -and  _hasn't-_ I've gathered that he's never allowed to leave the house, or associate with anyone that the awful demons don't approve of first. (Which is why he's so excited to go to this Kazeko's house for the first time ever.) Honestly, I don't know if it's a good thing or not. I don't  _want_ Rin to associate with even more demons, but at the same I don't like how  _controlling_ they are. Worse, he never seems to  _realize_  how very limited his freedom is!

        I constantly worry that one day they'll suddenly decide that they don't want Rin to associate with  _me_  anymore, and it'll be like when we were seven all over again. Only there won't be any second chances and he'll be gone  _forever._

        I never feel so utterly  _weak_  and  _powerless_  then I do whenever Rin visits.

        "So how did you do on the social test?" Rin tries to deflect.

        I let him.  _'For now.'_ "It's tomorrow," I correct. "But you had a test yesterday, right?"

        He nods. "A unit math test and my final Ouzygeni test. Yenzo actually made the math test all in Ouzygeni, so it was a two-in-one!" Rin adds with a pout. "I didn't do so good with the second part of the Ouzygeni test, though. It was all grammar stuff."

        "What percentage did you get?"

        "Only seventy percent. Yenzo says that I'm going to have to do a repeat," he groans. "It's so unfair!" As he stretches my eyes are caught on a rather nasty bruise and red patches of rashes on his right side.

        Bile raises in my throat the same time sharp, icy fury over comes me. "Nii-san, what is  _that?"_ I demand quietly and gesture to the offending mark.

 _'I will_ kill  _them.'_

        "Hmm?" Rin glances down in confusion. He freezes at the sight of the purple and yellow bruise. His arms drop at once and he tugs his shirt down, turning awkward and sheepish. "Oh-Ah, I guess I got that during combat training yesterday...I didn't even notice it until now..."

        "You  _guess?"_  I narrow my eyes.

        "It's not what you think, Yukio," he says defensively. "Usually my injuries heal before-" he suddenly cuts himself off, shutting up when he realizes that he's only digging himself a bigger hole. He glares instead.

        "There are  _more?_ This isn't the  _first time?"_

 _'Of course not,'_ I snarl to myself.  _'Did you honestly fool yourself that the abuse was only emotional when you never spotted evidence saying otherwise before? Victims of physical abuse have been fooling others for_ _centuries!'_ Disgusted with myself I reach to check Rin over more thoroughly, but he swats my hands away and evade me.

        "I'm  _fine,"_ he hisses. "It's nothing! Just training!"

        "Let. Me. See!" I demand as we begin to wrestle. I try to pin him down but he keeps kicking and squirming away!

        "No!" Rin continues to fight.

        However unlike other times, Rin is sluggish and red in the face. His arms shake as if he doesn't have much strength left, which only makes me more determined. Finally, I manage to force him down on the ground with me pinning his shoulders down and legs on either side of him. I'm tired from the fight -but Rin looks  _exhausted._ Which is really worrying because I've always known him to be a stamina  _monster._

        I risk letting go of one of his shoulders to feel his forehead, but he only breathes heavily and lays limply, eyes slightly unfocused. "I hate you," Rin grouses as he rests his head down and stares up at the sky.

        He's  _burning._

        "You have a fever," I accuse with narrow eyes. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

        "Didn't want you to worry," he huffs. "It's been on and off lately, but nothing I can't handle."

 _'Of course.'_ Somehow I'm not surprised with Rin's response. "How long?"

        "What?"

        "How long have you been having this on and off again fever?"

        "...About a month."

        "Nii-san!"

        "I'm  _fine_ , Yukio. It'll be gone by tomorrow! I promise!"

        "That's not the point!" I snap. "The point is that you've been lying to me for a month, when I could have gotten you proper medicine! Has your other so called  _father_ and older siblings" -I spite out the foul words- "even  _tried_ to get you better? How do you know that living in Gehenna isn't causing this? The very air could be toxic for all we know!"

        "Father  _has_ tried! He got me checked over by three different doctors!" Rin growls. "But nothing is weird about it beside the fact that it keeps coming back!"

        I ignore my shiver of unease over his uncanny and truly  _animalistic_ growl, and focus on the topic at hand. I open my mouth to speak, but Rin beats me to it:

        "And I doubt the air is deadly if I've survived this long!"

        "Not all toxic or poisons are instant," I rebuke sharply. "There are some that will build up for  _years_ _._ The  _sheer amount_  of miasma -Nii-san, it's a miracle that you've survived a  _single day!"_

        "I'm not going to a human doctor," Rin grits his teeth and gets a stubborn look -like all of the other times we've argued about the vast amount of health risks there is by living in Gehenna.

        Arg! He's so -so  _frustrating!_ "You are not a demon! You are a  _human_ and how can you expect  _demons_ to know how to treat a  _human?"_ I demand hotly. Honestly!  _What_ is Rin thinking?! Leaving his health up to _demons?!_

        Rin doesn't respond. Just becomes eerily silent and looks away with a stormy expression. Then without another word he disappears.

        "Arg!" I punch the dirt where his left shoulder once was, practically tasting my bitter anger on my tongue. I hate it when he does that!

        I then realize that I never  _did_  get to check him for other injuries.

_'Damn him. Damn those filthy demons.'_

        I'll kill them. Every single one of them for hurting and fucking up my brother.

        I resolve to bring a medical kit with me next time.


End file.
